Tomljanovic into Washington second round

Staff WritersAAP
Camera IconAjla Tomljanovic won through to the second round of the WTA tournament in Washington. (EPA PHOTO) Credit: EPA

Ajla Tomljanovic has followed her Wimbledon quarter-final appearance with a first-round victory over Sloane Stephens at the Citi Open in Washington.

The world No.69 beat her American opponent 6-1 6-4 on Tuesday to join fellow Australian Daria Saville in the second round, where she will face Russia's Liudmila Samsonova.

Last month it took a fightback from eventual champion Elena Rybakina to end Tomljanovic's impressive Wimbledon run, finally winning 4-6 6-2 6-3.

Preparing to defend her surprise US Open title, second seed Emma Raducanu also advanced to the second round in Washington, downing American qualifier Louisa Chirico 6-4 6-2.

Chirico came undone with 42 unforced errors to Raducanu's 18, while the British world No.10 won 76 per cent of her first and second serves.

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Raducanu, who will face Camila Osorio in the second round, was satisfied with her win.

"It definitely feels really good to get a win here in D.C.," she said.

"After not playing for quite a bit after Wimbledon or many matches at all this year, I think it's a really nice feeling just to get on the board.

"I think playing any first round is always pretty challenging. Then when you're not necessarily that match-sharp, small things you don't necessarily get right. It's just important to stay calm."

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