Sloane Stephens steady in China
The 15th-seeded Italian was broken three times in the opening set
Wuhan (China): In her first match since losing in the U.S. Open final, Roberta Vinci rallied to beat qualifier Danka Kovinic of Montenegro 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 Monday in the first round of the Wuhan Open.
The 15th-seeded Italian was broken three times in the opening set, but picked up her game to advance to the second round. At the U.S. Open, Vinci stopped Serena Williams’ bid for a calendar-year Grand Slam by upsetting the American in the semifinal.
Also in the first round, ninth-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia defeated Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania 6-1, 6-3; Sloane Stephens of the United States beat Alison Riske 7-6 (4), 6-3; and 14th-seeded Madison Keys beat Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4).
Bouchard withdraws from the event
Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard withdrew from the WTA Wuhan Open on Monday just hours before her first-round match, citing symptoms linked to the concussion suffered at the US Open. “I travelled to Wuhan with the intention of playing. Unfortunately, my concussion symptoms came back during practice on Saturday and it would not be safe for me to go on court,” Bouchard said.