Maja Chwalińska defeated Spain's Cristina Bucsa 6-2, 6-2 on Saturday in the second round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Cincinnati.
The 24-year-old Polish player rebounded from a first-round exit at the Toronto tournament to claim revenge over Bucsa, who beat her in qualifying at Madrid a year ago.
Chwalińska entered the match seeking to prove herself following her early departure in Toronto, where she lost 5-7, 1-6 to Talia Gibson. A finalist at this year's Roland Garros Grand Slam on clay in Paris, the Pole faced Bucsa in American hard-court conditions.
Bucsa, a Moldovan-born Spaniard with strong doubles experience, reached the second round after a three-set victory over Panna Udvardy, winning 6-2, 1-6, 7-5 in her opening match.
First set victory
Saturday's match began with comfortable holds of serve for both players. Chwalińska relied on her signature drop shots, while Bucsa used her net skills and doubles background to gain leverage during exchanges at the net.
In the third game, Chwalińska produced a remarkable sequence by hitting a delicate drop shot followed by a lob over Bucsa. Although the Pole squandered a 40-0 lead, she recovered to win the game at deuce.
Capitalizing on errors from Bucsa and solid baseline play, Chwalińska built a 4-1 lead with a service break. Bucsa pulled one break back when Chwalińska served for the set at 5-2, converting on her second break point.
Chwalińska responded in the next game by combining a drop shot, lob, smash, and volley to earn three set points. Bucsa saved all three by pushing Chwalińska deep behind the baseline, but handed Chwalińska the set 6-2 on a fourth set point by committing a double fault.
Storm delay and second set break
Bucsa created an immediate opportunity in the opening game of the second set by earning a break point. Chwalińska saved it with a serve-plus-forehand combination before holding serve when Bucsa hit the net tape.
Bucsa kept pressure on by approaching the net more frequently and holding her own serve. With Chwalińska leading 30-15 in the third game of the set, the chair umpire suspended play because of severe weather warnings near Cincinnati.
Heavy rain swept across the venue, forcing both players into the locker room for approximately one hour and 15 minutes. They returned to the court shortly after 7:40 p.m. local time.
Upon resuming the extended third game, Chwalińska struggled initially with errors, hitting wide, misfiring a drop shot, and committing a double fault to give Bucsa a break and the lead in the set.
Rebound and third round match
Chwalińska responded immediately by breaking Bucsa back to love to restore balance in the set. She held serve easily and broke Bucsa again after the Spaniard committed consecutive errors hitting wide.
The crowd inside the stadium cheered enthusiastically for Chwalińska after every successful point. Although Bucsa managed to read some of the Polish player's drop shots, Chwalińska maintained control to close out the second set 6-2.
Chwalińska advances to the third round of the WTA 1000 event, where she will play the winner of the match between Diana Shnaider and Tatjana Maria. Shnaider is considered the undisputed favourite, a player Chwalińska previously defeated in the semi-finals at Roland Garros.
