Massaro progresses in san Francisco

The 32-year-old Lancastrian was making her debut at this event and controlled proceedings in the opening two games, with her superior reach enabling her to earn 11-6 triumphs in both.

Blatchford had her home crowd behind her and she responded in the third to go 4-2 ahead courtesy of some deceptive drop shots and clever boasts, but the World No.30’s renaissance was short-lived as Massaro clawed back the deficit to take it 11-8 and settle the result.

“It’s quite hot on there and it’s a long time since I played a PSA match on a back court, so I was a little bit apprehensive about how that would be,” said Massaro, who will take on Victoria Lust in the next round.

“It feels like a little bit of a different game. The rallies are longer and the court feels a little bit smaller in some ways. I’m really happy to have got off in three games, Olivia is a really dangerous player and has some really nice shots.

“It was just a case of making sure I limited her actions and played well.”