Mikulskyte beats Vergara Rivera 6-2 6-3 in Sao Paulo qualifying

Justina Mikulskyte controlled her qualifying semifinal in Sao Paulo from the start, seeing off Antonia Vergara Rivera 6-2 6-3 without ever letting the match drift. The Lithuanian's edge came behind the ball: she won 65.7 percent of her first-serve points and 47.6 percent of her second, while Vergara Rivera managed only 52.5 and a damaging 31.6 percent on those same counts. That second-serve gap explained the repeated pressure on the Chilean's games, even though she landed more first serves, 67.8 percent to 62.5. Neither player hit an ace, and Mikulskyte's two double faults never cost her. The win carried her into the final qualifying round.