Upper Mac's Varvara Lepchenko Loses in 1st Round of U.S. Open

Upper Macungie's Varvara Lepchenko lost a marathon three-hour, three-set first round U.S. Open singles match to Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania by scores of 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 6-7 (5-7) Tuesday in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.

Lepchenko won the first set tie-breaker and was ahead 3-1 in the third and deciding set before eventually falling. 

Lepchenko, ranked 35th by the Women's Tennis Association, was not seeded in this year's U.S. Open women's singles draw.

Lepchenko will continue to participate in the U.S. Open. She is paired with partner Saisai Zheng of China in the women's doubles tournament draw, which kicks off later in the week. 

According to the U.S. Open website, Lepchenko has amassed more than $1.8 million in prize money since turning pro in 2001 with year-to-date prize money in singles totalling $372,527. Her best performance in U.S. Open singles play was in 2012, when she reached the third round.

The Women's Tennis Association website's stats on Lepchenko says she is still looking for her first WTA singles or doubles title. She has won 11 ITF singles titles and one ITF doubles crown.

This year, Lepchenko represented the United States in the Fed Cup international tournament in February.

Lepchenko also represented the U.S. in the 2012 Olympic Games.

Vital Statistics (provided by the Women's Tennis Association)

Varvara Lepchenko

Born: May 21, 1986 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Became a U.S. citizen: September 2011

Resides: Upper Macungie

Height: 5-foot-11 

Weight: 159 pounds

Plays: Left-handed/Two-handed backhand

Current tennis ranking: 35th (as of July, 2013).

Career Highlights: She reached the third round of Wimbledon in 2012. (She lost to defending champion Petra Kvitova). She reached the fourth round of the 2012 French Open.

Trains: At the U.S. Training Center-East at the home of the U.S. Open in Flushing, N.Y.

Other: Has a Serbian Husky named Belka