Germany's Laura Siegemund entered the record books with her defeat of fifth-seeded Xiyu Wang of China in four hours, nine minutes at the Thailand Open in Hua Hin on Wednesday.
The 7-6 (3), 4-6, 7-6 (1) match was the fourth-longest of the Open Era on the WTA Tour. It was the first to surpass the four-hour threshold since Francesca Schiavone defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 1-6, 16-14 in four hours, 44 minutes at the Australian Open in 2011.
Siegemund rallied from 3-1 down in the first set and 6-5 in the third set. She won nine of the final 10 points to advance.
It was the only singles match played Wednesday because of rain.
Korea Open
Veronika Kudermetova ousted second-seeded Liudmila Samsonova 6-4, 6-2 in an all-Russian encounter in Seoul to reach the quarterfinals.
Kudermetova moved to 5-2 overall against Samsonova, including three wins in the past year. She joins her younger sister, Polina, who already had secured her spot in the quarters.
Another Russian, fourth-seeded Diana Shnaider, defeated Carol Zhao of Canada 6-3, 6-3 in 67 minutes. The fifth seed, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, eliminated Great Britain's Heather Watson 6-2, 6-2 in 75 minutes.
Taro Daniel, Marin Cilic post opening-round wins in China
Japan's Taro Daniel ousted sixth-seeded Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5 in the first round of the Chengdu Open in China on Wednesday, snapping his 11-match losing streak.
He last won a match at the Mutua Madrid Open in April. On Wednesday, he had 11 winners and 11 unforced errors, while the Italian struck 26 winners but was upended by 33 unforced errors.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard of France, the seventh seed, outlasted Chinese wild card Fajing Sun 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-4 in a match that lasted two hours, 28 minutes. It was the second hard-court win this season for Mpetshi Perricard.
In the day's other match, Lukas Klein became the first Slovakian to win a match at the Chengdu event with his 7-6 (3), 6-4 victory over Adam Walton of Australia. Klein was helped by 12 aces.
Hangzhou Open
Marin Cilic, sidelined most of the season following knee surgery, recorded a win in his first ATP Tour match played since February, defeating Zachary Svajda 5-7, 6-3, 6-0 in China.
Cilic, who turns 36 later this month, is a 20-time tour winner who reached No. 3 in the world in mid-2018. The Croatian used 14 aces and seven service breaks to come from a set down against Svaida.
In other action, Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan upset Italy's Luciano Darderi, the fifth seed, 6-3, 6-4. Hungary's Fabian Marozsan, the seventh seed, topped Luca Nardi of Italy 6-0, 6-2.
Svitolina ends season after undergoing foot surgery
Elina Svitolina's tennis season has ended, the Ukrainian said on Wednesday after she underwent surgery on her right foot to address a long-standing injury.
Svitolina came back from maternity leave last year firing on all cylinders and reached the Wimbledon semi-finals, but she said she had struggled throughout her 2024 campaign with the injury.
"So unfortunately my 2024 season is now in the history books, as I have had surgery on my foot today to correct a long-standing issue that I have been trying to manage throughout this year," Svitolina said on Instagram, alongside a photo of herself in a hospital bed.
"It’s become harder to manage and has been impacting me more and more, not just with regard to tennis and training but in my everyday life too."
Svitolina, 30, went out of the U.S. Open in a third-round defeat to American Coco Gauff, her last match of the year, and said she planned to return to the court in 2025.
"I am excited for the opportunity to focus on my recovery and come back even stronger than before," she said.
