Scheepers and Oudin Through to Second Round in Night of Twists and Turns

Melanie Oudin By Curt Janka CARLSBAD, California – The Tuesday night session of the Mercury Insurance Open produced a number of surprises for the fans and players. The first coming before a ball was struck. Earlier in the day, Sorana Cirstea was forced to withdraw from her scheduled match with Sloane Stephens with a right abductor strain, granting lucky loser Melanie Oudin the chance to play in the main draw. That meant fans would get to see three Americans play under the lights. Coco Vandeweghe and Chanelle Scheepers took the court first. Scheepers entered the match with one previous win over her opponent, but Vandeweghe came out swinging, holding at love. Early in the rallies it was clear that Vandeweghe would be hitting the bigger balls, but Scheepers seemed comfortable redirecting the power. Scheepers won the first set easily, 6-2, while a frustrated Vandeweghe continued to go for winners unsuccessfully. The second set was much more competitive as the players stayed on serve un...