Thursday's second round of the 2023 WTA Merida Open pits 92nd-ranked Caty McNally of the USA against 96th-ranked Katie Volynets of her own nation.
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Volynets had performed admirably to go to the third round of the Australian Open despite beginning as a qualifier there. The high point of her performance there was a victory over Veronika Kudemetova. After almost a month off from tennis, Volynets returned and defeated Lucia Bronzetti 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in two hours and six minutes. In the first set, Volynets dropped her serve three times, but she recovered admirably in the following two to hold on seven of the eight occasions she served. Volynets was only broken once, in the third set, but she quickly rebounded with two breaks of her own. She just broke into the top 100 by advancing to the third round of her first grand slam tournament at the Australian Open, where she competed as a qualifier and upset world No. 9 Veronika Kudermetova. For a player who had a 3-15 main draw record on the tour prior to this year, it was a fantastic outcome.
It was not surprising that McNally was the second favorite to defeat the hotly favored Lin Zhu because of her dismal 1-2 win-loss record for the year entering this competition. In the opening set, Zhu, who has rated 50 places higher than McNally, continued breaking her opponent’s serve, but the American was unable to take advantage three times. The winner of the ensuing first set tie-breaker, however, was McNally. It’s interesting to note that in the second set, the script was flipped. Zhu was the one who led by a break in the first, seventh, and ninth games but quickly started losing her serve. After a tie-breaker, Zhu emerged victorious and took the set. However, McNally prevailed in the decisive set, taking it 6-1 to win the match and advance to the next round.
| Caty McNally vs Katie Volynets | Match details |
|---|---|
| Date | February 22, 2023 |
| Surface | Hard |
| Tournament | Merida Open |
| Stage | Round of 16 |
| Time (India) | 03:45 am |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Lin Zhu | 7-6, 6-7, 6-1 (W) |
| Kateryna Baindly | 1-6, 6-7 (L) |
| Laura Pigossi | 7-5, 6-1 (W) |
| Ysaline Bonaventure | 7-5, 4-6, 4-6 (L) |
| Anna Lena | 6-3, 6-2 (W) |
| Opponent | Score |
|---|---|
| Lucia Bronzetti | 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 (W) |
| Shuai Zhang | 3-6, 2-6 (L) |
| Veronika Kudermetova | 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 (W) |
| Evgeniya Rodina | 6-3, 6-2 (W) |
| Kristina Miadenovic | 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 (W) |
Caty McNally has a 1-0 advantage. In the opening round of the 2021 Guadalajara WTA 250, she defeated her six weeks younger compatriot in three sets, and she will continue to be the favorite in their rematch. At Mexico’s Acapulco in 2020, Katie Volynets only other WTA last-16 appearance, she fell to Renata Zarazua, 4-6, 7-5, 6-0.
Caty McNally and Katie Volynets will take on each other in the round of 16 of the 2023 ATP Merida Open on February 23.
Australia – beIN Sports
Canada – TSN
India – Tennis TV
UK- Amazon Prime Video
USA – Tennis Channel
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