Above: Victoria Duval

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The second time around was a far different story for Victoria Duval.

The Haitian-American phenom, who lost in straight sets to Kim Clijsters in her debut last year in Flushing Meadows, beat Australia’s Samantha Stosur, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in the opening round of play for her first US Open victory.

It was a huge victory for Duval, who was a heavy underdog coming into the match against Stosur, who is ranked 11th in the world and is a former US Open champion.

It was a hotly-contested match, Duval found her stride halfway through the third set after falling behind 3-2.

Duval struggled in the first match, falling 5-7, before rebounding in the second with a 6-4 win.

After losing two of the first three games in the third set, Duval took charge, finally taking the victory in a thrilling 10th game.

Duval came in unseeded against Stosur, who entered play seeded 11th.

Duval was born in Miami but spent much of her youth in Port-au-Prince, spending time training at the JOTAC Tennis Academy in the capital.

Her father, Dr Jean-Maurice Duval, was injured in the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.