Kostyuk holds off Giorgi in three-setter at Western & Southern Open

Tuesday’s Western & Southern Open first-round match won’t go down in the history books as a serving clinic. But Marta Kostyuk won’t care.

Kostyuk defeated Camila Giorgi 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to advance at the Linder Tennis Family Center in Cincinnati. The Ukainian generated nine service breaks while prevailing in two hours and 31 minutes. A total of 17 breaks occurred in the contest and the two players combined for a whopping 41 break chances. The final turning point came starting at 3-3 in the third set, as Kostyuk broke for a 4-3 lead and then saved two break points to consolidate for 5-3. She eventually served out the match with a rare love service hold at 5-4.

Cincinnati WTA 1000, other first-round matches and results:

• Serena Williams vs. Emma Raducanu
• Madison Keys vs. Yulia Putintseva
• Anastasia Potapova vs. Simona Halep
• Coco Gauff vs. Marie Bouzkova: tuesday
• Beatriz Haddad Maia vs. Jelena Ostapenko
• Shelby Rogers (WC) beat Sofia Kenin (WC): 6-2, 6-1
• Karolina Pliskova (14) beat Venus Williams (WC): 7-5, 6-1
• Anna Kalinskaya (Q) beat Martina Trevisan: 7-6 (2), 7-5
• Shuai Zhang beat Naomi Osaka: 6-4, 7-5
• Elise Mertens beat Anhelina Kalinina (Q): 6-1, 6-1
• Sorana Cirstea beat Belinda Bencic (12): 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-4
• Sloane Stephens (WC) beat Alize Cornet: 6-1, 6-0
• Caroline Garcia (Q) beat Petra Martic (LL): 6-3, 6-3
• Ajla Tomljanovic (Q) beat Taylor Townsend (Q): 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
• Victoria Azarenka beat Kaia Kanepi: 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
• Tereza Martincova (Q) beat Nuria Parrizas Diaz (LL): 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-3
• Ekaterina Alexandrova beat Leylah Fernandez (13): 6-4, 7-5
• Petra Kvitova beat Jil Teichmann: 6-7 (2), 7-6 (6), 6-3
• Catherine McNally (WC) beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich: 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (2)
• Alison Riske-Amritraj beat Sara Sorribes Tormo: 6-1, 7-6 (2)
• Amanda Anisimova beat Daria Kasatkina (9): 6-4, 6-4
• Veronika Kudermetova beat Barbora Krejcikova: 6-3, 6-3
• Elena Rybakina beat Mayar Sherif: 6-3, 6-2