China shocker: Starodubtseva beats ex-Russian far above her in rankings
Photo: Yuliia Starodubtseva (Getty Images)
Ukraine's fourth-ranked player, Yuliia Starodubtseva, began the main draw of the WTA 500 tournament in Ningbo, China, with a confident victory over Yuliya Putintseva. The former Russian, now representing Kazakhstan, was considered the clear favorite.
WTA 500 Ningbo (China), first round
Yuliia Starodubtseva (Ukraine) vs Yuliya Putintseva (Kazakhstan) 6:4, 6:2
How the match went
Starodubtseva entered the week ranked 131st in the world, while her opponent was 69th.
Although Putintseva was considered the favorite, the Ukrainian played confidently, leaving the Kazakh with no chance.
In the first set, Starodubtseva pulled ahead 3:1 but then allowed Putintseva to come back to 3:4. However, Starodubtseva broke in the last three games, held her serves, and won the set 6:4.
The second set was much smoother. Dropping only two points to her opponent, Starodubtseva secured the victory. The match lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes.
This was Starodubtseva's first main-draw WTA win since August. She last won at this level in Montreal, after which she had a seven-match losing streak.
What's next
Starodubtseva will face the sixth seed of the tournament, Belinda Bencic from Switzerland, in the next round.
Another Ukrainian, Dayana Yastremska, will also compete in the main draw. On October 14, she will play Victoria Mboko from Canada in the first round.
