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WTA Roundup: Yulia Putintseva wins in Charleston; will face defending champ Jessica Pegula

By Thomson Reuters Mar 30, 2026 | 10:09 PM

Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva won a tough first set tie-breaker and went on to defeat New Zealand’s Lulu Sun, 7-6 (6), 6-2 on Monday in the first round of the ​Charleston Open.

There were no breaks of serve in the ‌first set and none through nine points of the tie-breaker. Sun got a mini-break and earned two set points, but Putintseva erased those and captured the next two points to prevail. She won the final four games of the ‌match, ​but her reward will be facing top-seeded ⁠and defending champion Jessica Pegula ⁠in the second round on Wednesday.

No seeded players were in action on Monday, but there were two All-American match-ups on the clay in Charleston. McCartney Kessler outlasted lucky loser Elvina Kalieva, 4-6, ​6-3, 6-3, while Alycia Parks rallied past Mary Stoiana, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the final match of the evening.

In other results, ⁠Katie Volynets defeated Germany’s Eva Lys, ⁠5-7, 6-2, 6-0; Ukraine’s Danaya Yastremska got past Russia’s ​Anastasia Zakharova, 7-5, 6-2; 19-year old Florida native Akasha Urhobo won ​over Argentina’s Solana Sierra, 7-5, 3-0, ret.; Mexico’s Renata Zarazua ‌routed Sloane Stephens, 6-2, 6-0; Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova got past Jen Brady, 6-4, 6-3; Hungary’s Anna Bondar edged Czechia’s Darja Vidmanova, 7-5, 7-5 and Croatia’s Donna Vekic outlasted Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Copa ⁠Colsanitas Colsubsidio

The two seeded players in action on the first day on the clay in Bogota, Columbia both prevailed, but in completely different fashions.

Fourth-seeded ⁠Tatiana Maria, 38, ‌blitzed wild card Valentina Arias of Columbia, 6-2, ⁠6-1, while eighth-seeded Panna Udvardy of Hungary defeated ​Columbia’s Maria ‌Torres Murcia, 6-1, 1-6, 6-0 in a see-saw ​affair.

In a ⁠battle of Americans, 17-year old Californian wild card Julieta Pareja bested Elizabeth Mandlik, 6-3, 6-3. Poland’s Katarzyna Kawa routed France’s Carole Monnet, 6-1, 6-0; Greece’s Despina Papamichail knocked off Russia’s Anastasia Tikhonova, 6-3, 6-1 and Argentine wild card Julia Riera bested French qualifier Selena Janicijevic, 7-6 (5), ​6-1.

–Field Level Media