KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States won her first main-draw singles this year when she beat Croatian teenager Donna Vekic 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 in the rain-disrupted first round of the Malaysian Open on Tuesday.
Mattek-Sands, a former top-30 player who has slipped to 197 and need a wild-card entry, needed nearly two hours to beat 16-year-old Vekic, the sixth seed.
The American has had more success in doubles of late, winning her second title of the year with Sania Mirza in Dubai last weekend.
Also advancing were fifth-seeded Misaki Doi of Japan, Patricia Mayr-Achleitner of Austria, and Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic.
In action on Wednesday are top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki and defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan.