Marketa Vondrousova earned the right to keep playing at the U.S. Open by knocking off No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini 7-6 (4), 6-1 on Friday in New York.

Paolini of Italy lost four of her five service points in the first-set tiebreaker to help Czech ex-Wimbledon champ Vondrousova take the lead into the second set.

The pair were locked into a competitive back-and-forth in the key sixth game of the second set when Paolini sent a backhand stab sailing long to help Vondrousova convert her sixth break point.

"It was a very important game," Vondrousova said after the match. "Big difference between 4-2 and 5-1. It was a crazy game -- and the key to the match."

Vondrousova hit six aces to just one by Paolini, and was unbroken on her way to winning 47 of 69 service points (68.1 percent).

The 29-yea

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