Sabalenka wins the second round in Charleston by slamming Riske.
On Wednesday, Aryna Sabalenka won the second round of the Credit One Charleston Open.
Alison Riske, a former Top 20 player, put Sabalenka to the test, but the No. 1 seed won 7-6(3), 6-4 after 1 hour and 49 minutes of play, ending a three-match losing streak.
Sabalenka had won all of their previous meetings, including two Hologic WTA Tour singles finals this year, and she enhanced her record against Riske to 5-0 on Wednesday.
Sabalenka nearly let the first set slip away from her as she squandered four set chances at 5-4. Riske dragged Sabalenka into a crucial first-set tiebreak, where Sabalenka finally converted her sixth set point when Riske misfired on a forehand return.