Rome’s Foro Italico witnessed a surprise on Wednesday as Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova ousted Wang Xinyu of the Chinese mainland in straight sets during the first round of the Italian Open. Originally set to face former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, Wang instead met Rakhimova after Vondrousova withdrew with a shoulder injury.
The pair had last met in January during the final qualifying round at the Adelaide International, where Wang claimed victory. This time, Rakhimova turned the tables, cruising to a 6-3, 6-2 win in one hour and 32 minutes.
The opening set featured early breaks from both sides, with the score locked at 2-2 before Rakhimova seized control to close out the frame 6-3. Set two followed a similar script: after trading breaks to 1-1, Rakhimova rattled off four consecutive games.
Wang briefly halted her opponent’s momentum by holding serve in the seventh game to make it 5-2, but Rakhimova responded by serving out the match comfortably at 6-2.
Next up, Rakhimova will face 10th-seeded Emma Navarro of the USA in the second round, setting the stage for another blockbuster showdown in Rome.
Reference(s):
Wang Xinyu falls to Kamilla Rakhimova in first round of Italian Open
cgtn.com
