Swiatek cruises, Bouchard says goodbye in Montreal
Spectators were on their feet, trying to will Bouchard to another victory on the heels of her first-round triumph on Monday—her first WTA win since 2023.
But Bencic won five of the last six games to vanquish Bouchard, who had announced earlier in July she would retire after a final appearance in her home tournament.
'I think it's so special to play my last match here in Montreal on this court in front of you guys,' a teary Bouchard said as she was honored on court after the match. 'I remember being a little kid sitting in these stands, hoping and dreaming that I would play on this court one day.
'I grew up playing on these courts, and courts all around Montreal and near here, so it feels like such a full circle moment to finish my career here.'
Bouchard, who rose as high as fifth in the world rankings, shot to prominence in 2014 when she reached the Wimbledon final and made semi-final runs at the Australian and French Opens.
But her career was hindered by injuries, including a concussion suffered in a locker room slip at the 2015 US Open and a shoulder injury that required surgery in 2021.
Swiatek sails through
There was no drama for Poland's Swiatek, who breezed past Chinese qualifier Guo Hanyu 6-3, 6-1 in her first match since her crushing victory over Amanda Anisimova in the Wimbledon final.
Swiatek, seeded second, broke Guo's serve six times to book her spot in the third round. It was much harder going for Japan's four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka, who saved two match points in a 4-6, 7-6 (8/6) 6-3 triumph over Liudmila Samsonova.
Osaka, now working with Tomasz Wiktorowski after announcing on Monday she had split with coach Patrick Mouratoglou, surrendered early breaks in each of the first two sets.
Wimbledon quarter-finalist Samsonova served for the match at 5-4 in the second and led 40-15. The Russian fired a forehand long on her first match point and on her second a lackluster drop shot effort gave Osaka an opening and the Japanese star pounced.
Samsonova's double fault on break point allowed Osaka to level the set, and after storming back from 5-2 down in the tiebreaker to force a third set Osaka took control early, breaking Samsonova twice on the way to a 4-1 lead.
'She definitely came out really hard and, for me, I was definitely overwhelmed and I didn't know if I should also be hitting winners,' Osaka said. 'After a while I just tried to keep the ball in court.'
Jessica Pegula, the two-time defending champion and third seed, saved five set points in the opening set on the way to a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Maria Sakkari of Greece.
Australian Open champion Madison Keys, the sixth seed, opened her campaign with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Laura Siegemund, avenging a third-round loss to the German at Wimbledon. — AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Kuwait Times
Fritz beats rain, Carballes Baena to advance in Toronto
TORONTO: Second-seeded Taylor Fritz struggled with three rain delays and a stubborn Spanish opponent on Wednesday, pulling out a tight 7-5, 7-6 (7/1) win over Roberto Carballes Baena at the ATP Toronto Masters. The second-round match was halted repeatedly by light rain, with the final 18-minute pause coming just as the second-set tiebreaker was about to start. But Fritz, winner of Stuttgart and Eastbourne titles this season, quickly sprinted to victory before heavier rains were expected to set in. The American was far from pleased with a win which was marred by 45 unforced errors and confessed that he has not yet felt on his game in Canada. 'Even in practice I'm having a hard time putting the ball into the court,' he said. 'But I'm happy to get through this one. 'Everything is not feeling great, it's tough to control the ball. 'Since I've been here it's been absolutely brutal. But I have another match to figure it out and hopefully I can play myself into the tournament.' Fritz's fourth-seeded compatriot Ben Shelton had no complaints after earning his first career win over gritty Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 6-3. Shelton had dropped two prior meetings with 37-year-old qualifier Mannarino but said he was able to vary his serve to get over the line this time. 'This win was huge for me. He's a shotmaker, he can take the racquet out of your hands,' Shelton said. 'I've played well against him in the past and come up short, he can make things really difficult.' American Frances Tiafoe squeezed out a win after more than two and a quarter hours against Japan's Yosuke Watanuki, hailing his opponent's fighting spirit after a 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/5) triumph. 'He can hit a winner on any shot,' Tiafoe said. 'I needed some luck in those last two sets to win.' Tiafoe managed just 19 winners to the 45 of his 158th-ranked foe, but now lines up against Australian Alexsandar Vukic, who defeated Briton Cam Norrie 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3. Andrey Rublev, runner-up in Canada a year ago to Alexei Popyrin, won his 250th career match on hardcourt as he beat France's Hugo Gaston 6-2, 6-3. — AFP The sixth seed needed four match points to advance after 86 minutes and now plays Italian Lorenzo Sonego, a 6-1, 6-4 winner over China's Bu Yunchaokete. Wimbledon quarter-finalist Flavio Cobolli of Italy delivered four aces in the final game of a rain-interrupted match to clinch a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Canadian Alexis Galarneau. But Canadian Gabriel Diallo came out on top against his Italian opponent, beating Matteo Gigante 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) to next face Fritz. Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime suffered another early disappointment, losing his opening match in his home Masters for a third straight year as he fell to Fabian Marozsan 6-4, 6-4. Former top 10 ranking regular Stefanos Tsitsipas, now 30th in the world, continued a downward slide with a 6-4. 4-6, 6-2 loss to Australian Christopher O'Connell. Alex de Minaur, winner in Washington on Sunday, defeated Francisco Comesana 6-4, 6-2. 'It was not pretty by any means,' Australia's de Minaur said. 'The wind and rain made it quite tough. I'm happy I was engaged and focused from the first point to the last. 'Backing up a good week is the toughest ask in tennis. You don't have a lot of time to enjoy the moment after a week of emotional highs. 'You have to find a way to re-set and do it all over again.' – AFP
Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Kuwait Times
Swiatek cruises, Bouchard says goodbye in Montreal
MONTREAL: Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek cruised, Naomi Osaka battled through and Canadian Eugenie Bouchard called time on her WTA career with a gutsy second-round loss in Montreal on Wednesday. Switzerland's Belinda Bencic sent Bouchard into retirement with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 victory—but not before the Canadian thrilled her hometown fans by seizing an early break in the third set. Spectators were on their feet, trying to will Bouchard to another victory on the heels of her first-round triumph on Monday—her first WTA win since 2023. But Bencic won five of the last six games to vanquish Bouchard, who had announced earlier in July she would retire after a final appearance in her home tournament. 'I think it's so special to play my last match here in Montreal on this court in front of you guys,' a teary Bouchard said as she was honored on court after the match. 'I remember being a little kid sitting in these stands, hoping and dreaming that I would play on this court one day. 'I grew up playing on these courts, and courts all around Montreal and near here, so it feels like such a full circle moment to finish my career here.' Bouchard, who rose as high as fifth in the world rankings, shot to prominence in 2014 when she reached the Wimbledon final and made semi-final runs at the Australian and French Opens. But her career was hindered by injuries, including a concussion suffered in a locker room slip at the 2015 US Open and a shoulder injury that required surgery in 2021. Swiatek sails through There was no drama for Poland's Swiatek, who breezed past Chinese qualifier Guo Hanyu 6-3, 6-1 in her first match since her crushing victory over Amanda Anisimova in the Wimbledon final. Swiatek, seeded second, broke Guo's serve six times to book her spot in the third round. It was much harder going for Japan's four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka, who saved two match points in a 4-6, 7-6 (8/6) 6-3 triumph over Liudmila Samsonova. Osaka, now working with Tomasz Wiktorowski after announcing on Monday she had split with coach Patrick Mouratoglou, surrendered early breaks in each of the first two sets. Wimbledon quarter-finalist Samsonova served for the match at 5-4 in the second and led 40-15. The Russian fired a forehand long on her first match point and on her second a lackluster drop shot effort gave Osaka an opening and the Japanese star pounced. Samsonova's double fault on break point allowed Osaka to level the set, and after storming back from 5-2 down in the tiebreaker to force a third set Osaka took control early, breaking Samsonova twice on the way to a 4-1 lead. 'She definitely came out really hard and, for me, I was definitely overwhelmed and I didn't know if I should also be hitting winners,' Osaka said. 'After a while I just tried to keep the ball in court.' Jessica Pegula, the two-time defending champion and third seed, saved five set points in the opening set on the way to a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Maria Sakkari of Greece. Australian Open champion Madison Keys, the sixth seed, opened her campaign with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Laura Siegemund, avenging a third-round loss to the German at Wimbledon. — AFP
Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Kuwait Times
Banned Canada coach explains move to NZ
WELLINGTON: Former Canada women's football coach Bev Priestman said Wednesday she 'didn't feel safe' living in North America following her one-year ban for spying at the Paris Olympics. Wellington Phoenix announced Wednesday that Priestman would take over as head coach of its women's team, returning to football in the country she was banned for spying on with a drone, New Zealand. She has signed a two-year contract. The 39-year-old was visibly emotional as she discussed her suspension, and how nervous she is to be returning to the sport. 'I didn't feel safe,' Priestman said of living in Canada after the Olympics. 'That's being brutally honest. It was very difficult for my family, and I have to live with that. 'Obviously it was an absolute media frenzy. You've got people knocking at your door and everything, and I've got a little boy. 'Without going into too much detail, it was very difficult. We knew we had to get out of that country.' Governing body FIFA banned Priestman for one year after her coaching team used a drone to snoop on New Zealand before they played at the Paris games. New Zealand had spotted drones flying over their training sessions before their opening match and reported it to officials. An investigation found the Canadian team had been spying on rival training sessions for some time. Priestman said she is prevented from speaking about the situation in detail, due to ongoing legal discussions. But on her return to New Zealand she said she had talked to players and officials. She said the move to Wellington was an opportunity to 'reset' her career, and rebuild. On Tuesday night, hours after her ban was lifted, she ran her first coaching session in more than a year. 'I celebrated last night coaching the under-7s, my son's team, in the pouring Wellington rain,' Priestman said. 'That was a nice, humbling experience. They got all the energy from me in that moment because I've just been itching to do that.' Priestman won the Olympic gold with Canada at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and is the best credentialed coach to come to the women's A League. She said she had learned from her ban, and her experience with Canada, and would be a better coach for it. 'There's certain values that I hold and unfortunately, you know, things around me have clouded my judgement,' Priestman said. 'So for me personally, I just want to get back to... I love working with people. I love getting the best out of people. I love being on a football pitch. 'I just want to create a special moment for this city, for this country and move forward.' Wellington Phoenix chairman Rob Morrison said he was 'really pleased to be able to welcome Bev back to football'. 'We all know she's had a period of time away from the game, but we understand the circumstances and we're really comfortable with this appointment. 'Bev can't wait to get started, and we're really happy that she's going to be coaching the Phoenix.' — AFP
