A hard-fought win over Japan's Kurumi Nara at the Connecticut Open has provided Samantha Stosur a timely shot in the arm ahead of the US Open.
Less than a week after pushing world No.1 Serena Williams at a WTA tournament in Cincinnati, the Australian battled Nara for nearly two hours and 40 minutes to win the first round match 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (10-12) 6-2 on Monday.
Nara, ranked seven places behind Stosur at 32nd, gave everything she had in a marathon second set - the 2011 US Open champion blowing three match points in the tiebreaker. She let another get away before winning on her fifth chance.
"If you can win every match easily and not be tested, then that's fantastic - but that doesn't really happen in this world," said wildcard entrant Stosur.
"Anytime you can battle through a match like that, it's certainly great for your confidence.
"I guess it's everything that you've worked on in practice, and then it happens in matches.
"To come out like that, it's a really great feeling, and I'm happy about that."
The world No.25 next faces rising star Eugenie Bouchard, who easily dispatched Serbia's Bojana Jovanovski in the first round of the hardcourt tournament.
The world No.8 needed only 52 minutes to beat Jovanovski 6-1 6-1, winning the first seven points of the match.
Stosur has played Bouchard twice before. She won their most recent match, the 2013 Osaka final, but retired from their first clash in Charleston earlier last year.
Meanwhile, four-time champion of the New Haven event Caroline Wozniacki began her quest for a record fifth title with a win over qualifier Timea Bacsinszky 4-6 6-1 6-2.
Fourth-seeded Wozniacki lost the first three games of the first-round fixture but battled on in several long rallies in the final two sets to take out the match.
"I have to give her credit, she started out well," Wozniacki said.
"She got some matches under her belt playing qualifiers, and that helped her. I felt pretty good out there. It just took a while to get started."
Seventh-seeded Sara Errani of Italy was eliminated by Garbine Muguruza of Spain 6-2 3-6 6-1, marking her third loss in four matches.
Qualifier Shuai Pen of China beat Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, Czech Barbora Strycova Zahlavova defeated qualifier Belinda Bencic, Misaki Doi went down to Kirsten Flipkens, and Magdalena Rybarikova toppled Silvia Soler-Espinosa in the day's other matches.
Spain's Carla Suarez-Navarro withdrew because of a gastrointestinal illness, replaced by Caroline Garcia.
