Down a set, No. 3 seed Sabalenka rallies past qualifier in Charleston

In a tightly contested match, No. 3-seeded Aryna Sabalenka rallied from a set down on Wednesday to avoid an upset at the Volvo Car Open in Charleston. She squeezed past qualifier Kateryna Kozlova, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, to advance to the round of 16.

In the opening set, Sabalenka had trouble dealing with the qualifier's variety, quickly going down 3-1, and then 5-2. The world No. 10 was able to retrieve one of the breaks; however, she was broken once again, handing Kozlova the set. Still struggling to find answers to the Ukrainian's crafty game, the No. 3 seed was broken early, again, in the second set to trail 2-0. This time, she was able to claim the break back right away, getting the match back on serve. With another break in her pocket, she was able to close out the set to level the match.

Riding the momentum, Sabalenka started to dictate more, cutting down on errors she was making earlier. At 5-1 in the third, she gave one of the breaks back but eventually dodged the upset.

The 20-year-old Belarusian, who is playing Volvo Car Open for the first time, started the season with a bang, winning Shenzhen Open over American Alison Riske and reaching the St. Petersburg semifinals. She partnered with Elise Mertens to win the coveted Sunshine Double last Sunday after winning both Indian Wells and Miami Open doubles titles.

Next up for the 20-year-old in the round of 16 is unseeded Monica Puig, who upset No.13 seed Sofia Kenin in the round of 32.

Meanwhile, Dubai Tennis Championships winner Belinda Bencic took out American Allie Kiick in straight sets. The 21-year-old Swiss will play American Taylor Townsend, who upset No. 7-seeded Julia Goerges. 2017 finalist Jelena Ostapenko also advanced, grinding past home favorite Shelby Rogers, who was playing her first tournament since undergoing left knee surgery just over a year ago.