Valentova beats Stoiana 6-2 7-6 in Cincinnati first round

Tereza Valentova opened her Cincinnati campaign with a 6-2 7-6 win over Mary Stoiana, taking the first set comfortably before surviving a much tighter second that needed a tiebreak. The Czech's edge came behind her first delivery: she landed 60 percent of them and won 75 percent of those points, against 57.1 percent for Stoiana on her own first serve. Valentova also struck three aces to her opponent's one, though five double faults and just 37.5 percent of second-serve points won explained why the American stayed close late. It was a straight-sets start in the Round of 128 for the Czech.