Canadian wild card Marina Stakusic triumphed in a thrilling opening-round women’s singles clash at the Guadalajara Open in Mexico on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., overcame 22-year-old Russian Polina Kudermetova with a score of 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 in a rain-affected WTA 500 match that lasted two hours and 29 minutes.
After trailing 3-1 in the decisive set, Stakusic showcased her resilience by rallying to level the match at 4-4 before the rain delay. She ultimately triumphed by winning the last two games once play resumed.
Kudermetova led in aces with 5 compared to Stakusic’s 3, and committed fewer double faults (14-9) and unforced errors (33-30).
Stakusic delivered an impressive 66% winning percentage on her first serve, successfully claiming eight service and return games. She converted 8 of 13 break points and saved 6 of 14 against her.
Next up, Stakusic will take on third-seeded Jelena Ostapenko from Latvia in the round of 16 on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is set to compete against Italy’s Martina Trevisan in a match that was postponed from Monday.
