McNally outpoints Tararudee 91-76 to win Wuhan qualifying final 6-4, 4-6, 6-1

Ninety-one points to seventy-six. That was the whole story of Wuhan's qualification final: Catherine McNally didn't outhit Lanlana Tararudee — she out-landed her, 73% of first serves in play against 46%, and rode the difference to a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 win.

Set one was a coin flip on serve — 19-18 service points to Tararudee — but McNally broke twice to her opponent's once and took it 6-4. Tararudee saved two of four break points; McNally saved one of two. The second set swung the other way: Tararudee's return produced 18 receiver points to 13, three breaks against two, and a 6-4 set despite saving none of the two break points she faced. McNally saved three of six. One set all, and nothing settled.

Then the decider turned on two numbers: 4 and 16. Tararudee won four return points in the entire third set; McNally won sixteen. Three breaks, zero break points faced, 6-1. Tararudee's serve leaked four double faults in the set alone, and she saved one of four break points.

McNally's match needed no aces — she hit none. She put 56 of 77 first serves in play, won 37 first-serve points, and claimed 45 return points to Tararudee's 31. She converted seven of her break chances and saved four of the eight she faced. Tararudee converted four, saved three of ten, and finished with eight double faults to McNally's four. Every edge pointed the same direction, and by the end every game did too.

Three aces, eight double faults, 46% first serves: Tararudee owned the highlight reel and lost the ledger. McNally never hit an ace and never needed one.