Game Wang falls at second Open hurdle

The 22-year-old Chinese rising star Wang Qiang failed to reach the US Open third round after losing 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to 29th-seeded Casey Dellacqua on Thursday.

Wang's loss left Peng Shuai the only Chinese player remaining in the women's singles draw.

The round-of-64 match lasted for 119 minutes. Wang outperformed Dellaqua with more aces and fewer unforced errors but she only converted two of her nine breakpoints.

Dellaqua broke in the second game of the first set to lead 2-0, only to see Wang break back in the third and tie the score 2-2. Wang managed to break again in the seventh game, finishing the first set 6-4.

Neither player was able to break until the ninth game in the second set. Dellaqua came back from 40-15 to win the game and ended the set 6-4.

The decisive set went in favor of Dellaqua, who accomplished two breaks to claim the set and the match 6-2.

For Wang, it was her first appearance in a Grand Slam main draw. She beat Paula Kania from Poland 6-2, 6-0 to get her first Grand Slam victory on Tuesday.

"I did well in the first set, both on serving and at the baseline, but my opponent gave me a lot of pressure in the second set with her powerful serving," said Wang after the match.

"She played better in key points, much better than me, so she fought to take the second and third sets in a row."

Wang plans to play at the Incheon Asian Games after her trip in New York and believes her experiences at US Open will greatly help her in the future.

"It helps a lot, even it's a loss," said Wang. "Especially against a top-50 player."

Dellaqua will meet Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in the third round.

Xinhua

(China Daily 08/30/2014 page9)