Kontaveit makes quick work of Kasatkina, reaches second round in New York
Top Estonian tennis player Anett Kontaveit (WTA 20th) defeated Russian player Darja Kasatkina (WTA 68th) in straight sets in the opening round of the Cincinnati Tournament on Sunday, which despite its name, is being held in New York.
Kontaveit fell behind 0:2 in the opening set of the match, but set the pace for the entirety of the encounter thereafter. The Estonian, who served seven aces, put this intial hiccup behind her and went on to wrap things up in less than an hour, finishing 6:3, 6:1.
Kontaveit said after the match: "It took me a few games to get into the match but I played very well after that. I thought I managed to play really aggressively and played my game really well. I was serving quite well, and I'm really pleased with the win today."
Anett Kontaveit advances to the @CincyTennis second round!
— wta (@WTA) August 23, 2020
The No.12 seed defeats Kasatkina 6-3, 6-1 pic.twitter.com/hJkOEEMq2f
Kontaveit recently reached the final in Palermo in the first WTA tournament after a long hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic. She said that tournament helped her prepare.
The 24-year old said: "It was really good to get a couple of matches in, and get some match practice. Although it was on a different surface, it still definitely helps. It's eased me up and I'm feeling really well on-court, moving well and playing good tennis so I'm very excited."
Kontaveit will face Teichmann of Switzerland, ranked 54th in the world, in the second round, after the latter beat Danielle Collins (U.S., WTA 53rd), 6:3, 6:3. If everything falls in place, the Estonian could face Czech Petra Kvitova (WTA 6th) in the following round.
The WTA Cincinnati tournament was moved to New York in order to create a bubble for competitors amid safety concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Editor: Kristjan Kallaste, Andrew Whyte