L. Tararudee outlasted H. Vandewinkel 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the first round of the WTA 125K Istanbul 2, relying on aggressive returning to overcome 10 service breaks saved by Vandewinkel. Tararudee converted five of her six break points overall, while Vandewinkel managed four breaks from 15 chances.
The first set was a roller-coaster with three straight breaks from the start: Vandewinkel broke in game 1, Tararudee levelled in game 2, and Vandewinkel again led 2-1. Tararudee then broke back at 4-4 and sealed the set with a break at 4-6. In the second set, Vandewinkel broke for 4-2, but Tararudee immediately replied at 2-4, then Vandewinkel broke for 5-4 and held to force a decider. The third set turned on a single break at 0-2 by Tararudee, who held the lead to close it out.
Tararudee's return game was decisive: she won 50 of Vandewinkel's 87 first-serve return points (57%) and 40 first-serve return points overall, compared to Vandewinkel's 20. In the third set, Tararudee faced no break points and won 94% of her first-serve points, while Vandewinkel managed only 52% on her first serve.