CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Maagang napatalsik si six-time major champion Venus Williams nang masilat ni Laura Siegemund ng Germany, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 7-5, nitong Miyerkules (Huwebes sa Manila) para sa ikalawang sunod na panalo sa Volvo Car Open.
“I tried to keep up the pressure and tried to dominate the game as well as I could,” pahayag ni Siegemund. “I think I worked my way well through the match. It was a close match, you know, it can go either way. I just tried to believe in my game, and if I was down, I told myself I was going to get more chances.”
Iginiit naman ni Williams na mas mahusay na player ang nakalaro niya sa kasalukuyan.
“I tried my best to think this could be the best match she’ll ever play in her life, honestly,” pahayag ni Williams.”I basically won the match but still lost.”
Umusad namana kapwa sa third round sina Russian Daria Kasatkina kontra Puerto Rican Olympic champion Monica Puig 6-0, 6-7 (3), 6-2, at Shelby Rogers.
Sa iba pang laro, nagwagi si Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko kay Greece’s Maria Sakkari sa tree sets at Hungarian Fanny Stollar kontra No.4 seed Elena Vesnina, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (3).
Umusad din sina Anastasija Sevastova ng Latvia, kontra Germany’s Andrea Petkovic 6-3, 6-4; Ons Jabeur ng Tunisia, laban kay Magda Linette ng Poland 6-4, 6-4; Daria Gavrilova ng Australia kontra American Alison Riske 6-3, 6-1; Kiki Bertens ng the Netherlands laban kay Kateryna Bondarenko ng Ukraine 6-2, 7-5;
Nagwagi si Mirjana Lucic-Baroni ng Croatia kontra Barthel ng Germany, 6-3, 6-2; Japan’s Naomi Osaka kontra Zhang Shuai ng China 6-4, 6-4; Anastasia Rodionova ng Australia kontra Sara Errani of Italy 6-2, 6-2; Irina-Camelia Begu ng Romania, laban kay Kristina Kucova of Slovakia 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6); Lucie Safarova ng Czech Republic kontra Bethanie Mattek-Sands ng nited States 6-3, 6-3.