Bouchard extends career with three-set win in Montreal
Bouchard, who reached the Wimbledon final and two other grand slam semi-finals in 2014, beat Emiliana Arango 6-4 2-6 6-2 in Montreal on Monday (Tuesday AEST).
The Canadian veteran announced this month she would walk away from the sport after the tournament, but added a condition to that plan in the wake of her thrilling victory in front of a packed crowd.
"If I win this tournament, I will not retire," she said in an on-court interview.
Playing in only her second singles match of the year, Bouchard blasted a forehand winner to take the first set, but Colombian Arango turned the tables in the second set amid a cascade of unforced errors from her opponent.
However, Bouchard broke for a 3-1 lead in the decider and hammered a swinging volley to extend the advantage to 4-1.
The 31-year-old wildcard put her hands on her head and then her heart after securing the victory to set up a second round meeting with 17th seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland.
Briton Emma Raducanu beat her good friend Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania 6-2 6-4 and will next meet 32nd seed Peyton Stearns.
"It's very difficult to play someone who you are close to," said Raducanu, who made the semi-finals at last week's Washington Open.
"I'm really glad about how I was able to put that to one side for the match and back up a good week in D.C."
Four-time grand slam winner Naomi Osaka of Japan beat Canadian qualifier Ariana Arseneault 6-4 6-2 in breezy conditions to set up a second-round meeting with 13th-seeded Russian Liudmila Samsonova.
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Two-time champ Pegula suffers upset loss in Montreal
American Jessica Pegula's bid for a three straight titles at the Canadian Open has ended with a three-set loss in Montreal. Thirty-five-year-old Anastasija Sevastova stunned the defending champion and No 3 seed on Friday, winning 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 in the round of 32. Ranked 386, Sevastova was granted entry into the main draw with a protected spot after suffering a challenging knee injury. She's the lowest-ranked player to beat someone in the top 10 since Angelique Kerber surprised Jelena Ostapenko more than a year ago at Indian Wells. Sevastova wasn't sure how she pulled off the upset. "Somehow, I was down 2-0 in the second set and started to play better and better," she said. "Third set, I played really good. Just trying to stay on the court as long as possible." The Latvian was playing only her 24th WTA Tour-level match in the past four years and had lost her last seven meetings against top five opponents. Her last big result came at the 2018 US Open when she defeated Sloane Stephens in her best Grand Slam singles performance. In the decisive third set, Sevastova scored two service breaks against Pegula to lock it up. She was better in the big moments, saving nine of 13 break points and converting six of 10. Sevastova can equal her best career result in Canada with a win on Sunday against Naomi Osaka who defeated Ostapenko 6-2, 6-4. Osaka has won three matches in Montreal including a second-round struggle when she saved two match points against Liudmila Samsonova. Meanwhile, No. 6 seed and Australian Open champion Madison Keys came back to defeat fellow American Caty McNally 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 in two hours and 15 minutes. Keys converted her third match point with a forehand pass, breaking McNally for the fourth time. "Today I did a good job of bouncing back after the first set," Keys said. "Let go of the first set and move on. Happy I was able to do that."
The Advertiser
18 hours ago
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Popyrin power proves potent as Aussie ace prevails
Australia's Alexei Popyrin has won the battle of former champions to advance to the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Defending champ Popyrin, the 18th seed in Toronto, fought back to beat 10th-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev 5-7 6-4 6-4 on Thursday (local time). It was a superb win for the Australian against the former world No.1 and 2021 US Open and Canadian Open champion in the lead-up to the year's final major on the hard courts at Flushing Meadows in New York. Popyrin, who stretched his unbeaten run in Canada to eight matches, was delighted to win, but thought he should have done it more easily. "I felt like I should have won that first set,'' said the Australian, who raced to an early 4-2 lead. "I was in the driver's seat. I felt like I was really comfortable out there, and then something happened. "I kind of let go and I started feeling my shots a little bit. When that happens, when you play a fast pace against him, he starts feeling the ball a little bit more.'' However, Popyrin's serve held him in good stead as he saved nine of 11 break points in the match. "It just shows that when I hit my spots I feel like I can hold, no matter what the score is,'' he said. Popyrin's victory set up a fourth-round clash with fifth seed Holger Rune on Saturday after the Dane advanced by beating Frenchman Alexandre Muller. On the same day, Alex de Minaur will take on Christopher O'Connell in an all-Australian third-round encounter. Earlier on Thursday, top-seeded German Alexander Zverev beat Italy's Matteo Arnaldi 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-2 to reach 500 ATP match victories. The 28-year-old Zverev - the 2017 champion - is the first ATP Tour player born in 1990 or later to win 500 matches. He won on clay in Munich in April for his 24th tour title. "I think I started playing better from the baseline. The longer the match went on, I started to find my rhythm a bit," Zverev said. "It was actually my backhand that was feeling a bit off in the beginning, which is strange, doesn't happen very often. "But after I found that shot, I was comfortable and I was happy about the level." Ranked third in the world, Zverev ended up the top seed in Toronto, with No.1 Jannik Sinner and No.2 Carlos Alcaraz skipping the hard-court event. Zverev advanced to face No.14 seed Francisco Cerundolo, a 6-3 6-4 winner over fellow Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Earlier, Alex Michelsen upset third-seeded Italian Lorenzo Musetti 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 to set up a clash with fellow American Learner Tien, a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 winner over countryman Reilly Opelka. Eighth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway topped Portugal's Nuno Borges 7-5 6-4 to set up a match with 11th-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov. - with AP Australia's Alexei Popyrin has won the battle of former champions to advance to the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Defending champ Popyrin, the 18th seed in Toronto, fought back to beat 10th-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev 5-7 6-4 6-4 on Thursday (local time). It was a superb win for the Australian against the former world No.1 and 2021 US Open and Canadian Open champion in the lead-up to the year's final major on the hard courts at Flushing Meadows in New York. Popyrin, who stretched his unbeaten run in Canada to eight matches, was delighted to win, but thought he should have done it more easily. "I felt like I should have won that first set,'' said the Australian, who raced to an early 4-2 lead. "I was in the driver's seat. I felt like I was really comfortable out there, and then something happened. "I kind of let go and I started feeling my shots a little bit. When that happens, when you play a fast pace against him, he starts feeling the ball a little bit more.'' However, Popyrin's serve held him in good stead as he saved nine of 11 break points in the match. "It just shows that when I hit my spots I feel like I can hold, no matter what the score is,'' he said. Popyrin's victory set up a fourth-round clash with fifth seed Holger Rune on Saturday after the Dane advanced by beating Frenchman Alexandre Muller. On the same day, Alex de Minaur will take on Christopher O'Connell in an all-Australian third-round encounter. Earlier on Thursday, top-seeded German Alexander Zverev beat Italy's Matteo Arnaldi 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-2 to reach 500 ATP match victories. The 28-year-old Zverev - the 2017 champion - is the first ATP Tour player born in 1990 or later to win 500 matches. He won on clay in Munich in April for his 24th tour title. "I think I started playing better from the baseline. The longer the match went on, I started to find my rhythm a bit," Zverev said. "It was actually my backhand that was feeling a bit off in the beginning, which is strange, doesn't happen very often. "But after I found that shot, I was comfortable and I was happy about the level." Ranked third in the world, Zverev ended up the top seed in Toronto, with No.1 Jannik Sinner and No.2 Carlos Alcaraz skipping the hard-court event. Zverev advanced to face No.14 seed Francisco Cerundolo, a 6-3 6-4 winner over fellow Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Earlier, Alex Michelsen upset third-seeded Italian Lorenzo Musetti 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 to set up a clash with fellow American Learner Tien, a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 winner over countryman Reilly Opelka. Eighth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway topped Portugal's Nuno Borges 7-5 6-4 to set up a match with 11th-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov. - with AP Australia's Alexei Popyrin has won the battle of former champions to advance to the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Defending champ Popyrin, the 18th seed in Toronto, fought back to beat 10th-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev 5-7 6-4 6-4 on Thursday (local time). It was a superb win for the Australian against the former world No.1 and 2021 US Open and Canadian Open champion in the lead-up to the year's final major on the hard courts at Flushing Meadows in New York. Popyrin, who stretched his unbeaten run in Canada to eight matches, was delighted to win, but thought he should have done it more easily. "I felt like I should have won that first set,'' said the Australian, who raced to an early 4-2 lead. "I was in the driver's seat. I felt like I was really comfortable out there, and then something happened. "I kind of let go and I started feeling my shots a little bit. When that happens, when you play a fast pace against him, he starts feeling the ball a little bit more.'' However, Popyrin's serve held him in good stead as he saved nine of 11 break points in the match. "It just shows that when I hit my spots I feel like I can hold, no matter what the score is,'' he said. Popyrin's victory set up a fourth-round clash with fifth seed Holger Rune on Saturday after the Dane advanced by beating Frenchman Alexandre Muller. On the same day, Alex de Minaur will take on Christopher O'Connell in an all-Australian third-round encounter. Earlier on Thursday, top-seeded German Alexander Zverev beat Italy's Matteo Arnaldi 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-2 to reach 500 ATP match victories. The 28-year-old Zverev - the 2017 champion - is the first ATP Tour player born in 1990 or later to win 500 matches. He won on clay in Munich in April for his 24th tour title. "I think I started playing better from the baseline. The longer the match went on, I started to find my rhythm a bit," Zverev said. "It was actually my backhand that was feeling a bit off in the beginning, which is strange, doesn't happen very often. "But after I found that shot, I was comfortable and I was happy about the level." Ranked third in the world, Zverev ended up the top seed in Toronto, with No.1 Jannik Sinner and No.2 Carlos Alcaraz skipping the hard-court event. Zverev advanced to face No.14 seed Francisco Cerundolo, a 6-3 6-4 winner over fellow Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Earlier, Alex Michelsen upset third-seeded Italian Lorenzo Musetti 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 to set up a clash with fellow American Learner Tien, a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 winner over countryman Reilly Opelka. Eighth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway topped Portugal's Nuno Borges 7-5 6-4 to set up a match with 11th-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov. - with AP Australia's Alexei Popyrin has won the battle of former champions to advance to the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Defending champ Popyrin, the 18th seed in Toronto, fought back to beat 10th-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev 5-7 6-4 6-4 on Thursday (local time). It was a superb win for the Australian against the former world No.1 and 2021 US Open and Canadian Open champion in the lead-up to the year's final major on the hard courts at Flushing Meadows in New York. Popyrin, who stretched his unbeaten run in Canada to eight matches, was delighted to win, but thought he should have done it more easily. "I felt like I should have won that first set,'' said the Australian, who raced to an early 4-2 lead. "I was in the driver's seat. I felt like I was really comfortable out there, and then something happened. "I kind of let go and I started feeling my shots a little bit. When that happens, when you play a fast pace against him, he starts feeling the ball a little bit more.'' However, Popyrin's serve held him in good stead as he saved nine of 11 break points in the match. "It just shows that when I hit my spots I feel like I can hold, no matter what the score is,'' he said. Popyrin's victory set up a fourth-round clash with fifth seed Holger Rune on Saturday after the Dane advanced by beating Frenchman Alexandre Muller. On the same day, Alex de Minaur will take on Christopher O'Connell in an all-Australian third-round encounter. Earlier on Thursday, top-seeded German Alexander Zverev beat Italy's Matteo Arnaldi 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-2 to reach 500 ATP match victories. The 28-year-old Zverev - the 2017 champion - is the first ATP Tour player born in 1990 or later to win 500 matches. He won on clay in Munich in April for his 24th tour title. "I think I started playing better from the baseline. The longer the match went on, I started to find my rhythm a bit," Zverev said. "It was actually my backhand that was feeling a bit off in the beginning, which is strange, doesn't happen very often. "But after I found that shot, I was comfortable and I was happy about the level." Ranked third in the world, Zverev ended up the top seed in Toronto, with No.1 Jannik Sinner and No.2 Carlos Alcaraz skipping the hard-court event. Zverev advanced to face No.14 seed Francisco Cerundolo, a 6-3 6-4 winner over fellow Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Earlier, Alex Michelsen upset third-seeded Italian Lorenzo Musetti 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 to set up a clash with fellow American Learner Tien, a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 winner over countryman Reilly Opelka. Eighth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway topped Portugal's Nuno Borges 7-5 6-4 to set up a match with 11th-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov. - with AP
Perth Now
20 hours ago
- Perth Now
Popyrin power proves potent as Aussie ace prevails
Australia's Alexei Popyrin has won the battle of former champions to advance to the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Defending champ Popyrin, the 18th seed in Toronto, fought back after losing the first set to beat 10th-seeded Russian Daniil Medvedev 5-7 6-4 6-4 on Thursday (local time). It was a superb win for the Australian against the former world No.1 and 2021 US Open and Canadian Open champion in the lead-up to the year's final major on the hard courts at Flushing Meadows in New York. Popyrin's victory set up a fourth-round clash with fifth seed Holger Rune on Saturday after the Dane advanced by beating Frenchman Alexandre Muller. On the same day, Alex de Minaur will take on Christopher O'Connell in the third round in an all-Australian encounter. De Minaur is looking to back up his success from Washington, where he picked up his 10th career title. Earlier on Thursday, top-seeded German Alexander Zverev beat Italy's Matteo Arnaldi 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 6-2 to reach 500 match victories. The 28-year-old Zverev - the 2017 champion - is the first ATP Tour player born in 1990 or later to win 500 matches. He won on clay in Munich in April for his 24th tour title. "I think I started playing better from the baseline. The longer the match went on, I started to find my rhythm a bit," Zverev said. "It was actually my backhand that was feeling a bit off in the beginning, which is strange, doesn't happen very often. "But after I found that shot, I was comfortable and I was happy about the level." Ranked third in the world, Zverev ended up the top seed in Toronto with No.1 Jannik Sinner and No.2 Carlos Alcaraz skipping the hard-court event. No.5 Jack Draper and No.6 Novak Djokovic are also absent. Zverev advanced to face No.14 seed Francisco Cerundolo, a 6-3 6-4 winner over fellow Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry. Earlier, Alex Michelsen upset third-seeded Italian Lorenzo Musetti 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 to set up a clash with fellow American Learner Tien, a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 winner over countryman Reilly Opelka. Eighth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway topped Portugal's Nuno Borges 7-5 6-4 to set up a match with 11th-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov, who beat American Emilio Nava in three sets.
