Swiss Tennis Player Masarova Stuns Top Seed in Austin Tournament Opening

Swiss qualifier Rebeka Masarova delivered a commanding performance to defeat third-seeded Xinyu Wang at the ATX Open in Austin. The upset victory came just three weeks after Masarova lost to the same opponent in Romania.

In a stunning first-round performance at the ATX Open in Austin, Texas, Swiss qualifier Rebeka Masarova dominated third-seeded Xinyu Wang of China with a decisive 6-3, 6-2 victory on Monday.

Masarova’s serving proved exceptional as she captured 85.7% of her first-serve points, winning 30 out of 35 attempts. The Swiss player also demonstrated strong defensive skills, successfully defending four out of five break point opportunities. This victory served as redemption for Masarova, who had fallen to Wang just three weeks earlier during the second round in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Another seeded player faced elimination on Monday as seventh-seeded Anna Bondar from Hungary suffered a defeat against Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova, losing 6-3, 7-5.

Among American qualifiers, Whitney Osuigwe mounted an impressive comeback against Elizabeth Mandlik, recovering from an opening set loss to win 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Taylor Townsend from the United States secured a hard-fought victory over Czech Republic’s Linda Fruhvirtova 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5. However, other American players faced setbacks as Czech qualifier Nikola Bartunkova eliminated Katie Volynets 6-4, 7-5, and Russia’s Oksana Selekhmeteva overcame Alycia Parks 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

At the Merida Open Akron in Mexico, 21-year-old Canadian Marina Stakusic, currently ranked 142nd globally, scored a major upset by defeating fifth-seeded Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska 6-4, 6-3 in opening round action.

This marked Stakusic’s first tour-level victory of the season after previous first-round exits in Canberra, Australia, and at the Australian Open in Melbourne, despite qualifying for the latter tournament. Yastremska’s struggles with consistency, including six double faults, contributed to Stakusic’s breakthrough win.

Additional first-round results from Merida saw straight-set victories for Great Britain’s Katie Boulter and Colombia’s Emiliana Arango, while Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva from Andorra secured a hard-fought 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 triumph over Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva.