Elena Malõgina out of Strasbourg WTA tournament despite strong start
Estonian tennis player Elena Malõgina went out in the first round of qualifying at the WTA 500-level tournament in Strasbourg, France, after losing to world No. 67 Anna Blinkova (neutral flag) in three sets, 6–1, 4–6, 1–6.
Blinkova's career-high WTA rating is 34th, and in 2022 she won her only WTA tournament to date, in Romania.
Malõgina, ranked 450th worldwide, had earned a wildcard for the high-level tournament.
While Malõgina won the opening set in just 27 minutes, in the second Blinkova took control, broke the Estonian's serve to take the lead, and had a chance to serve for the set at 5–3.
Then Malõgina took a 40:15 lead and won the fourth game by breaking, only to then lose her next service game, so the set still went to her opponent.
In the decider, Malõgina went behind 0–3 and 1–5 in games. In the seventh game, she faced three break points and saved two match points, only for Blinkova finally to prevail.
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Editor: Siim Boikov Andrew Whyte
