Stat of the Day: Chirico scores first WTA win in five years in San Diego
For the first time since 2017, American Louisa Chirico View Profile won a WTA-level main-draw match thanks to a stirring comeback against compatriot Alison Riske-Amtritraj on Monday at the San Diego Open.
The 26-year-old New Jersey native was promising as a teenager, and burst onto the scene in 2016 by reaching the semifinals of the WTA 1000 Mutua Madrid Open as a qualifier at age 19; she peaked at a career-high ranking of No. 58 later that year before a career-threatening shoulder injury took her out of the game for 18 months.
Into the main draw at this week's West Coast WTA 500 event as a qualifier, Chirico again had a statement result as a qualifier: Trailing her higher-ranked compatriot 6-1, 4-0, and later by a break in the third set, the now-World No.196 scored one of the comebacks of the season, 1-6, 7-5, 7-6(5). She also trailed 0-40 on serve at 4-4 in the final set, but held on.
Riske served for the match just once, at 5-4 in the second set, and never reached match point.
A comeback win to remember 💜
— wta (@WTA) October 10, 2022
🇺🇸 @Louisa_Chirico digs deep to earn her first win back on Tour since 2017!#SanDiegoOpen pic.twitter.com/DSGrlTtnfU
Chirico's last WTA main-draw win came on the clay courts of Gstaad, Switzerland five years ago, and her reward for the 2 hour, 53-minute marathon effort is a date with No.2 seed Paula Badosa View Profile .
Keys cruises, Vandeweghe rallies past Kenin
Also five years ago, Madison Keys View Profile and CoCo Vandeweghe squared off in an all-American semifinal at the US Open that was eventually won by Keys. To reach Round 2 at the San Diego Open, they had contrasting opening wins.
Keys largely cruised in a 6-1, 6-4 win over Australian qualifier Ellen Perez, while Vandeweghe scored her first tour-level win since June in a 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 win over another American, 2020 Australian Open Sofia Kenin View Profile .
The unseeded Keys lost her last three matches dating back to a Round 3 loss to Coco Gauff View Profile at the US Open, but now awaits either No.8 seed Daria Kasatkina View Profile or 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez View Profile , while Vandeweghe will be No.4 seed Jessica Pegula View Profile 's first opponent.
Ironically enough, Pegula was Vandeweghe's last tour-level main-draw win: The former Top 10 player beat then-World No.13 Pegula at the Credit One Charleston Open.
