Hong Kong Open: Kenin into second round to face Ponchet

American Sofia Kenin reached the second round of the Hong Kong Open by beating Japanese qualifier Mei Yamaguchi 6-4, 6-4 at Victoria Park, Causeway Bay on Tuesday.

Kenin, ranked No 88, will play Frenchwoman Jessika Ponchet next. The American reached the final in Tokyo last week, going down to Zheng Qinwen. She has now won five of her last six matches on the tour.

Hong Kong WTA 250, other first-round matches (Victoria Park, Causeway Bay, hard, USD 267,082):

• Kimberly Birrell beat Ana Bogdan: 6-3, 6-4
• Varvara Gracheva (7) beat Tatiana Prozorova (Q): 2-6, 7-5, 6-2
• Diana Shnaider (1) beat Kyoka Okamura (Q): 6-3, 6-3
• Cristina Bucsa (8) beat Hong Yi Cody Wong (WC): 6-3, 6-3
• Katie Boulter (2) beat Aoi Ito: 6-4, 6-4
• Nao Hibino beat Jia-Jing Lu (LL): 6-7 (4), 6-3, 7-5
• Suzan Lamens beat Xinyu Gao (Q): 6-3, 6-0
• Jessika Ponchet beat Xinyu Wang (4): 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
• Yue Yuan (6) beat Simona Halep (WC): 6-3, 6-3
• Han Shi (Q) beat Margarita Gasparyan: 6-4, 6-2
• Xiyu Wang beat Hina Inoue (Q): 6-3, 7-6 (2)
• Bernarda Pera (9) beat Sara Saito: 6-4, 6-4
• Priscilla Hon beat Eudice Wong Chong (WC): 6-3, 6-4
• Leylah Fernandez vs. Heather Watson
• Su Jeong Jang vs. Anastasia Zakharova

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