Aryna Sabalenka advances to 2nd round at Tianjin Open
Posted October 09, 2018 7:00 am
TIANJIN, China (AP) - Aryna Sabalenka moved closer to a spot in the WTA Finals by beating Sofia Kenin 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-0 in the first round of the Tianjin Open on Tuesday.
The fourth-seeded Sabalenka, who lost to Maria Sharapova in the final last year, won the Wuhan Open title two weeks ago. She also defeated Kenin en-route to that victory.
Second-seeded Caroline Garcia advanced by beating Chinese qualifier Xun Fang Ying 6-4, 6-1.
Third-seeded Elise Mertens and Timea Bacsinszky also advanced. Mertens beat Zhu Lin 7-5, 6-1, while Bacsinszky advanced after Danielle Collins retired from their match after losing the first set 6-3.
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