Charleston, April 2 Three Americans were the first players to reach the WTA 500 Credit One Charleston Open Round of 16, with Madison Keys, Amanda Anisimova and defending champion Danielle Collins all booking third-round spots on Tuesday evening.
The reigning Australian Open champion Keys needed one hour and 42 minutes to defeat Caroline Dolehide 6-3, 7-6(4), finally closing out her compatriot on her eighth match-point opportunity.
Keys held her first four match points while up a set and a break at 6-3, 5-4. However, Dolehide erased those chances and two more in the following game, battling back to level footing in the second set of the power-hitting clash. Keys then needed to hold firm in the tiebreak before she at last defeated her compatriot, WTA reports.
“I think I got a little bit passive and Caroline really raised her level. It’s obviously hard when you kind of feel like you’re at the finish line and then it slips away," said Keys, who won the event in 2019, defeating Caroline Wozniacki to capture her first clay-court title.
On the other hand, defending champion Collins kicked off her title defense by rolling past fellow American Robin Montgomery 6-3, 6-1 in 1 hour and 9 minutes. She collected her seventh straight victory in Charleston.
“You always want to go out and be able to do that, but it’s not always possible. Today it was, and I was hitting my shots really well. I think I was timing the ball well, and I think you just have to kind of stick to your process and the things that you’re working on and then just keep focusing on that," said Collins.
Also advancing was eighth seed Anisimova of the U.S., who dismissed 2021 champ Veronika Kudermetova in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2.
Anisimova reached the semifinals here in 2022, which is her top showing at any WTA 500 event. She won her biggest career title at WTA 1000 Doha in February.
Meanwhile, Maria Sakkari, a semifinalist here last year, overcame a sluggish 0-3 start to oust Canadian wildcard Marina Stakusic, 6-3, 6-2, in one hour and 28 minutes.
American Hailey Baptise was a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Australia’s Olivia Gadecki.
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