Canada’s Rebecca Marino won her first main draw singles match since early March on Tuesday, upsetting Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva in Miami.
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Beaten in her last two duels, the Torontonian (83rd) defeated the 43rd player in the world in straight sets 7-6 (4) and 6-2.
With this, Marino secured his ticket to the second round of this tournament of the WTA1000 series. She could have her hands full in her next matchup when she meets sixth-seeded young American sensation Coco Gauff on Thursday.
In the day’s clash, the Maple Leaf representative won the final four rallies of the first set’s tiebreak, a 49-minute battle that saw her fail to convert her five chances to steal Putintseva’s serve.
Marino played possession with panache and failed to offer a break point during the clash, a particularly rare feat in women’s tennis. She put down her rival in the second set and ended the duel 33 minutes later.
Regardless of the outcome of his next duel, Marino will add valuable points to the WTA rankings. Last year in Florida she lost in the first round to Katerina Siniakova.