There was a duo of casualties at the ASB Classic after 6th seed Coco Vandeweghe and Belgian 8th seed Alison Van Uytvanck crashed out in the first round.
Vandeweghe was playing in her first tournament since October after she ended her 2015 season early due to an ankle injury. In in the first round of the New Zealand tournament she faced compatriot Irina Falconi, a player who she has lost to twice before (2009 and 2012). The match between the two American players was a titanic encounter with 9 breaks of service (five for Vandeweghe and four for Falconi). There may be 39 places currently separating the two in the WTA rankings, but it was at times difficult to tear them apart in the match. Nevertheless, in the crucial deciding set Falconi broke her opponent on two occasions to seal the 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 win.
In the next round, Falconi could play another American, Bethanie Mattek-sands, or Belgian qualifier Kirsten Flipkens. Following her win over the 6th seed, Falconi praised her competitor.
“I knew I had to fight to the very last point and I found a way. She’s a heck of a competitor. We know our game very well”. Falconi said.
Another seed to exit was Alison Van Uytvanck. The Belgian shot to prominence last year after reaching the French Open quarterfinals. In her first round match, she struggled at times during her 1-6, 6-2, 6-4, loss to Alexandra Dulgheru. The match ended in bitter fashion for the sixth seed. After breaking back to put the match back on serve, Uytvanck was broken for the fourth times in the match, which ensured victory for her Romanian rival.
In other matches 2014 Wimbledon Girls champion Jeļena Ostapenko eased herself to a 6-1, 7-5, win over Johanna Larsson. Fifth seed Sloane Stephens kicked-off her quest for a second WTA title with a 6-3, 6-3, win over Polona Hercog. Finally, fourth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova moved into the next round after her opponent, Mona Barthel, retired in the second set.
