Seventh-seeded Sofia Kenin rallied from an uncompetitive first set to knock off Germany’s Laura Siegmund 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 in opening-round action of the Korea Open in Seoul, South Korea on Monday.
Kenin, the only seeded competitor in action on the first day of the event, fell in a 5-0 hole in the opening set and was broken three times. However, she responded with four breaks of Siegemund in the second set and three more in the third, including one up 6-5 which clinched the match. This helped the American overcome a sloppy service game where each competitor had 10 double faults and won 50 percent or less of their service games.
Germany’s Ella Seidel also rallied from a set down to defeat Jessika Ponchet of France 5-7, 6-4, 6-2. Fellow German Eva Lys disposed of Ashlyn Krueger in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.
Two of the home-country wild-card entrants, South Korea’s Yeonwoo Ku and Sohyun Park, lost in straight sets. France’s Lois Boisson defeated Ku 6-2, 6-1 while Czech competitor Katerina Siniakova beat Park 6-2, 6-2. The third Korean wild card, Dayeon Back, has her opening match on Tuesday.
Australia’s Maya Joint won the opening match of the day 6-4, 7-6 (4) over Linda Fruhvirtova of the Czech Republic.
–Field Level Media
