Qualifying at the BNP Paribas Open got underway Sunday and history repeated itself for Clervie Ngounoue.

The 18-year-old native of Washington D.C. reached the final round of qualifying as a wild card once again by beating a seeded veteran.

Whereas Ngounoue defeated Alize Cornet in 2024, the former junior World No. 1 got the better of Canada’s Rebecca Marino in Tennis Paradise on Sunday.

There were, yes, sunny skies.

Ngounoue needed more time on court than last year, though, prevailing 6-4, 7-6 (3) after it seemed like the 2023 FILA International Junior Champion in Indian Wells would speed into the next round.

After needing seven deuces to hold in the last game of the first set, Ngounoue led 5-1 in the second.

But the 34-year-old Marino — ranked 108th after being as high as No. 38 in 2011 — then won five games in a row. Ngounoue recovered in the tiebreak.

She entered qualifying with a 13-3 record at lower levels in 2025, winning her last event in England. Home players went a perfect 4-for-4, with Whitney Osuigwe, Claire Liu and Varvara Lepchenko also posting victories.

The highest seed in action on Sunday was No. 2 Eva Lys. The German enjoyed a breakout Australian Open, reaching the fourth round as a lucky loser before losing to reigning BNP Paribas Open champ Iga Swiatek.

Lys bettered Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-4, 6-3. While Lys hit eight double faults and won just six second-serve points, the World No. 77 tallied 70 percent of her first-serve points and broke six times.

Sasnovich — who toppled Grand Slam winners Emma Raducanu and Simona Halep in 2021 in the desert — let slip a break lead in the second set.

Elsewhere, Kaja Juvan upset fifth-seed Laura Siegemund 7-5, 6-7 (2), 6-4 in an extended three hours as the wind became a factor.

The Slovenian bounced back after holding a set and 5-3 advantage, breaking to begin the final set.

A former junior No. 5, the 24-year-old took a break from tennis early last year and only returned last month — beating Ngounoue — which explained her ranking of 1106th.

Top seed Kimberly Birrell plays her opening match on Monday against 15-year-old junior star Kristina Penickova, who hails from Campbell near San Jose.

Penickova battled to January’s Australian Open junior final by winning four three-set matches — including a pair of final set tiebreaks — and landed the doubles crown with twin sister Annika.