Starodubtseva downs Tagger 6-3 6-4 in Monterrey opener

Yuliia Starodubtseva controlled her Round of 32 match in Monterrey, beating Austria's Lilli Tagger 6-3 6-4 without ever letting the contest slip into a decider. The Ukrainian landed only 46.8% of her first serves, yet she made them count, winning 72.7% of those points and a solid 56% behind her second delivery, with a single ace and not one double fault. Tagger found the court more often at 55.2% but won just 56.8% of her first-serve points and 46.7% of her second, and five double faults kept handing back momentum. It was a clean, efficient way for Starodubtseva to open her tournament.