Bucsa edges Sakatsume in three tiebreaks at US Open

Cristina Bucsa outlasted Himeno Sakatsume 7-6 6-7 7-6 in the US Open round of 64, a match in which every set went to a tiebreak and neither player could pull clear. The serve numbers explain the deadlock: Bucsa won 61.8% behind her first delivery and Sakatsume 62.3%, with the second-serve returns almost as level at 50.9% for the Spaniard and 52.0% for the Japanese. Bucsa landed 58.9% of first serves to Sakatsume's 60.6% and paid for five double faults to three, yet held her nerve when the tiebreaks arrived. The reward was a place in the third round.