Day 1 As It Happened: Main Draw Play Gets Underway

We’re all finished for Monday, but that only means we’ve just gotten started. Below, a recap from the day that was at the Volvo Car Open. Oh, and here’s Tuesday’s schedule. See you all tomorrow! 

Day 1 done: Wrap-up video

Cornet out with injury… and update draws
Alize Cornet is out with a foot injury, replaced by lucky loser Conny Perrin in the first round (vs. Maria Sakkari). See the updated singles and doubles draws (with Monday winners) right here.

What a day that was
Huge win for Shelby. Blistering stuff from Ostapenko, Bencic, Puig and Kenin. And Americans go 5-1 on the singles court.

Here’s our feature story on what went down on court Monday at the Volvo Car Open. 

More from a happy Shelby… 

.@Shelby_Rogers_ on her first match back from injury: “Ideally, it might have been better to make my comeback at a smaller tournament [than #VolvoCarOpen], but it’s kind of storybook, isn’t it?” pic.twitter.com/TcY1aaRE1S

— Volvo Car Open (@VolvoCarOpen) April 1, 2019

Day done on court
Taylor Townsend has to be happy with her 3-6 6-2 6-3 win over qualifier Astra Sharma in a match that was high-quality and full of mixed paces and all-court tennis. Townsend has a tough challenge in round two as she meets No. 9 seed Bencic.

Tuesday plans? Join us!
Andrea Petkovic, Sloane Stephens and Danielle Collins are all scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, while Emma Navarro and Kiki Bertens headline the evening session. That is a “tennis Tuesday” lineup if we’ve ever seen one… 

Here’s the full order of play. Tickets are still available. 

Sweet scenes for Shelby

A very emotional @Shelby_Rogers_ wins her first match after a 13-month break by defeating Rodina 6-4, 6-2 in the first round #VolvoCarOpen pic.twitter.com/DsuABjOV3j

— Volvo Car Open (@VolvoCarOpen) April 1, 2019

Shelby Rogers def. Evgeniya Rodina 6-4 6-2
What a moment for Shelby Rogers, who is in full tears inside Volvo Car Stadium after that win over Rodina. She has been out for over a year, going through knee surgery and intensive rehab. Last year she served as a Tennis Channel commentator on site. This year, she’s back to her winning ways. Next up: No. 10 seed Ostapenko. 

Player party shenanigans from last night…

The results are pouring in…
Lots of tennis happening on this Monday afternoon: No. 14 seed Ajla Tomljanovic survives Magda Linette 6-2 7-6(7); Tatjana Maria wins over Natalia Vikhlyantseva 6-2 7-5; American Kiick was fierce over Pauline Parmentier 6-3 6-0; and Mandy Minella 3-6 7-5 6-0 over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

Ostapenko, Bencic waste no time
Really solid efforts from top 10 seeds Ostapenko and Bencic, who each won without much trouble on Volvo Car Stadium. Ostapenko beat Johanna Larsson 6-1 6-4 while Bencic had little trouble with Destanee Aiava, 6-3 6-0.

The eye-popping scoreline of the day might be from Puig, who was in fantastic form in a 6-0 6-1 effort over Errani in just 56 minutes.

Still to come: Hometown girl Shelby Rogers

Welcome back, Shelby! 😊 👋 Charleston’s own @shelbsrogers opens her 2019 #VolvoCarOpen against Rodina on Monday night (April 1) as the last match in the Volvo Car Stadium. Swing by after work to cheer on Shelby and our other WTA stars in action 🙌 Tickets available through the link in our profile.

A post shared by Volvo Car Open (@volvocaropen) on Apr 1, 2019 at 6:56am PDT

Pegula def. Khromacheva 1-6 7-6(4) 6-1
Really great comeback there from Pegula, who trailed 1-6 0-2. Pegula used to train on this very site, and spent her childhood in Hilton Head, there the tournament originated. She next meets No. 4 seed Anastasija Sevastova, a semifinalist here last year. 

Kenin def. Lisicki 7-5 6-4
Really solid effort from Kenin, who had a tough test in both sets but pulled past the 2009 winner here, advancing in straights. She’ll meet the winner of Errani-Puig, which is the second match on Club Court.

Also: Sara Sorribes Tormo def. Fanny Stollar 6-0 6-3 and Tamara Zidansek beats Anna-Lena Friedsam 6-1 2-6 6-0.

Pegula has battled back from a 1-6 0-2 deficit to lead in the decider vs. Khromacheva, 1-6 7-6(4) 4-0.

Practice makes perfect
While the biggest stars aren’t in action today, that doesn’t mean they have the day off…

🎶 Here are a few of my favorite things 🎶#Sevastova, @CaroWozniacki, @SloaneStephens ❤️ pic.twitter.com/KeIWCEdxrb

— Volvo Car Open (@VolvoCarOpen) April 1, 2019

10:50 – Kenin saves set point
American Kenin saved a set point at 4-5 serving after Lisicki served for the set at 5-3. It was the 20 year old who won set one eventually 7-5. Kenin led by a break early in set two, but they’re on serve now. If you want to follow live scores, download the Volvo Car Open app.

LOTS of tennis to see today
OK… before the day gets away from us: Ostapenko should have a tough test against Johanna Larsson; we can’t wait for the big-hitting affair between Bencic and Australian teen Destanee Aiava; and we can’t wait for Shelby Rogers‘ return to her home court in Charleston against Evgeniya Rodina.

Plus: Sara Errani vs. Monica Puig in what is sure to be a clash of styles, and other Americans in action: Taylor Townsend (last on Club Court); Allie Kiick (third on Court 3); and Francesca Di Lorenzo (last on Court 3).

10:00 – Ready? Play.
Matches are underway, with an intriguing one on Volvo Car Stadium: Former champ here Sabine Lisicki meets Kenin for the first time on tour level. (Kenin won a qualifying match between the two last year in Indian Wells.)

Elsewhere, it’s American Jessica Pegula taking on Russia’s Irina Khromacheva.

Manic Monday – What to watch
While the top eight seeds receive byes, that’s not the case for seeds 9-16, meaning No. 9 Belinda Bencic, No. 10 Jelena Ostapenko, No. 13 Sofia Kenin and No. 14 Ajla Tomljanovic are all in action.

Who else to watch? We have a full preview that you can read here.

9:00 – Good morning, gates open!
It’s a very good morning to all of you from Daniel Island and the 47th Volvo Car Open. It’s our 19th year on Daniel Island, and this year we feature nine of the top 20, five former champions and 14 Americans among the world class tennis starts who have descended on Charleston to wow us with their tennis.

First, it’s a morning preview show on Facebook to the tennis to come this week, hosted by yours truly.