Unheralded Vesnina shakes up New Haven draw

Jelena Jankovic was sent crashing out of the New Haven Open Tuesday after being upset by Elena Vesnina in a match that was disrupted by a rare east coast earthquake.
The seventh seeded Serb Jankovic was unable to shake off the two-hour delay caused by the 5.8 magnitude quake, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in a first round match.
“It doesn’t make you feel good before going on the court,” said Jankovic who waited on the grass outside the stadium during the evacuation. “It’s not like you are sitting on a couch. You are just sitting in the middle of nowhere and mosquitoes biting you and bugs and spiders crawling over you.”
Jankovic was losing 2-0 in the opening set when the quake struck, forcing the evacuation of the tennis facility. The quake was centred in Virginia before it rumbled through the Connecticut Tennis Center.
Parts of the White House, Capitol and American Pentagon also were also evacuated.
Once play restarted, Vesnina got rolling. They split the first two sets and then tied 4-4 in the third. Vesnina broke Jankovic’s serve in the final game of the match.
“I will remember this day for the rest of my life,” Vesnina said. “There is nothing you can say. It’s just like you won the match after the earthquake and it just feels great.”
It was another strong performance from 19-year-old American Christina McHale on Tuesday.
The lone American in the draw needed just 77 minutes to beat Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-2, 6-2. She advances to the next round to face top seed and defending champ Caroline Wozniacki who easily beat Polona Hercog 6-3, 6-0.
Francesca Schiavone advanced to the third round, routing Monica Niculescu 6-2, 6-1.