Flipkens beats Vekic at ASB Classic in Auckland (Jan 1, 2018)
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) Donna Vekic became the first seeded player ousted at the ASB Tennis Classic when she lost 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-3 to Belgium's Kristen Flipkens on Monday in a rain-interrupted first-round match.
After losing a first set which was punctuated by rain delays and a five-minute break when Flipkens sought treatment for an injured shoulder, the eighth-seeded Vekic seemed to hold the upper hand, sweeping the second set in 34 minutes.
But the 21-year-old Croatian player lost momentum with a series of unforced errors which led to an early service break in the third set. She rallied to level at 4-4, then lost serve and squandered two break points before Flipkens served out the match.
Flipkens improved her record to 5-0 against Vekic and said she would seek physio treatment before the second round.
Earlier, Petra Martic beat Marketa Vondrousova 7-6 (2), 6-3 and Su-Wei Hsieh beat Nao Hibino 6-0, 6-3.
Second-seeded Julia Goerges was due to play Olympic gold medalist Monica Puig later Monday.
