Former Australian Open semifinalist and 2020 US Open quarter finalist Elise Mertens came back from one set down to beat Anhelina Kalinina 2-6 6-1 6-2
Kalinina got the first break and came through two consecutive marathon games before breaking for the second time to win the first set 6-2 after 43 minutes.
Both players traded breaks in the second and thitd games. Mertens broke twice in the fourth and sixth games and saved a late break point in the sixth game to serve out on her second set point with ace at deuce.
Each player saved a break point at the start of the third set. Mertens converted her third break point in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead and survived a seven-minute service game to consolidate her break after three deuces with her overhead. The Belgian player got her second break at 30 in the seventh game, as Kalinina netted a forehand.
Mertens set up a match against Vera Zvonareva, who beat Marta Kostyuk in straight sets.
““It may not have been the best match I played. It was a bit of a struggle in the first set. She played pretty aggressively and did not make a lot of mistakes. I tried to change in the second and third sets where I was stepping into the court more. I was mentally prepared for a battle and it was certainly a battle until the end. She was really really attacking my second serve with her backhand, so I tried to put in more serves to her forehand. From the backhand side, she was able to go down the line or cross-court from the ad-side. I found I was reaching less for shots after the first set. Once I made my first serve, I knew I had the advantage”, said Mertens.
Kalinina finished runner-up to Marie Bouzkova in the final of the 2014 US Open Junior champion and lost to Sloane Stephens in three sets at the 2018 US Open.
Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska edged past Irina Camelia Begu 6-4 6-4 with four breaks of serve in her first match since her semifinal at the French Open to reach the second round at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz.
Podoroska won eight consecutive matches at the French Open and upset Elina Svitolina to become the first qualifier to reach the semifinals in Paris. The Argentine player broke the top 100 for the first time in her career.
Podoroska will face Italy’s Camila Giorgi for a spot in the quarter finals. Giorgi edged Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-3 5-7 6-4.
