Yexin Ma vs Polina Kudermetova — R128 — China Open

Polina Kudermetova lost a first-set tiebreak to Yexin Ma, then won the next two sets to reach the second round of the China Open. The win ended her three-match losing streak, which spanned a knee injury in August. Kudermetova, ranked 104th, represents Uzbekistan and is the younger sister of Veronika Kudermetova. Ma, a Chinese player ranked 161st, lost in qualifying but entered the main draw as a lucky loser. She won an opening set in which the players traded four breaks: Kudermetova broke for 3-2 and again for 4-3, and Ma broke straight back each time before taking the tiebreak 7-2. Kudermetova broke five more times over the last two sets and got her first break early in each. She led 2-0 and 5-1 in the second before taking it 6-3. In the decider she broke for 2-1 and 4-1, and this time the immediate reply was hers: when Ma broke back for 2-4, Kudermetova broke again for 5-2. Ma won 33 percent of her first-serve points in that set, down from 67 percent in the opener, while Kudermetova won 78 percent of hers. Kudermetova next faces WTA No. 44 Clara Tauson.