World No.610 Daria Saville has survived an exhausting first-round clash with US Open champion Emma Raducanu at the Abierto of Zapopan.
Australia's Daria Saville has figured in the longest match of the WTA season to outlast reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu in an uncompromising first-round contest at the Abierto of Zapopan.
In a match lasting three hours and 36 minutes, Saville wore down Raducanu to the point where the No.1 seed was forced to retire at 5-7 7-6 (7-4) 4-3.
Before Saville's win, the longest match of 2022 lasted three hours and nine minutes and was won by Danka Kovinic over Jang Su-Jeong 6-3 2-6 6-4 at the Australian Open.
"This is probably the first match in a long time when I felt like I was being myself," Saville said.
"I was being feisty Dasha. I just want to keep on working and keep on going here."
Saville, who reached a career-high of No.20 in 2017, is on her way back up the rankings after surgery on her achilles tendon.
The 27-year-old is now ranked No.610 as she celebrates her first main-draw win at a tour-level event since the 2021 Australian Open.
Raducanu was playing her first match since a hand blister left her hampered in a three-set loss to Danka Kovinic in the second round of the Australian Open.
She and Saville both came into the match desperate for court time.
But not in their wildest dreams could they have envisaged such a gruelling and taxing encounter.
Raducanu took the first set after 80 minutes, coming back from an early break before Saville struck back in a similar fashion in the second set.
The Brit served for the match 5-3 but Saville's trademark grittiness emerged to force a tiebreak before closing out another 80-minute set.
Having battled for over two hours and 40 minutes, both women warded off physical distress in the deciding set.
After falling behind 2-0, Saville fought through leg cramps to hold serve to get on the board.
And she parlayed that momentum into a 3-2 lead before Raducanu took an off-court medical timeout.
Raducanu returned to the court with her upper left leg taped and bravely placed two more games before making the decision to retire down a break at 4-3.
Saville will face American qualifier Caroline Dolehide in the second round.
