Vandewinkel edges Sramkova in three to reach Cincinnati main draw

Hanne Vandewinkel came through a scrappy qualifying final in Cincinnati, beating Rebecca Sramkova 6-4 3-6 6-3 to book her place in the WTA 1000 main draw. The Belgian's serve was the match's great contradiction: only 50 percent of her first deliveries landed and she coughed up 12 double faults, yet she struck eight aces and won 69.2 percent of the points behind her first ball. Sramkova was steadier in the basics, landing 54.2 percent of first serves with seven double faults, but she won just 65.4 percent of her first-serve points. Vandewinkel's bigger weapons decided the decider.