By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday February 25, 2020
Photo Source: Guillermo Sanchez
Slovenia’s Kaja Juvan saved seven match points in a thrilling game late in the second set against Venus Williams and parlayed it into an upset victory over the future Hall of Famer on Tuesday in Acapulco.
The 19-year-old, who took a set from Serena Williams in the second round at Wimbledon last year, notched a 4-6 7-6(4) 6-2 victory to book her spot in the second round.
“It’s kind of surreal,” a giddy Juvan said after the match. “I’m just really grateful that I was able to win it.”
Minutes later Juvan would go on to take the second set tiebreaker from Williams and she soon cruised through the third set against the two-time Acapulco champion. After her second match point save, which was saved after a successful challenge of an out call on one of her shots, Juvan said she started to believe that luck must on her side.
Williams, who had triple match point at the start of the 4-5 game, would fail to convert five more match points after Juvan’s challenge went her way.
The fourth match point was a beauty. Kuvan used her versatile backhand, cracking a bullet down the line to prolong the match.
The World No.125 moves on to face fellow Slovenian Tamara Zidansek in the second round.
Juvan wasn’t the only big upset winner on Tuesday in Acapulco. World No.270 Renata Zarazua of Mexico shocked top-seeded Sloane Stephens, 6-4 6-2. The victory was Zarazua’s first Top 50 win and her first WTA-level victory in over a year. She will face American wild card Katie Volynets in the second round.
Volynets upset American Shelby Rogers, 6-2 7-6(5).
No.4-seeded American Lauren Davis also fell victim to the upset bug, losing to Christina McHale 6-2 1-6 6-4.
17-year-old Canadian Leylah Annie Fernandez, the youngest player in the draw in Acapulco, stormed past Serbia’s Nina Stojanovic 6-4 6-1.
Sixth-seeded Lin Zhu (d. Zavatska), Caroline Dolehide (d. Arconada), Katie Boulter (d. Lorenzo) and Sara Errani (d. Sorribles Tormo) were also winners on Tuesday.