Rebecca Marino surprises at National Bank Open, Leila Fernandez packs up

We were looking forward to Leila Fernandez, but Marino put on an excellent performance. The first name already came from the competition.

Far from 220th in the WTA standings, Marino beat the 26th-ranked Keys in two identical 6-3 sets, finishing in 66 minutes on Central Court at IGA Stadium.

I don’t even know where to start, which means a lot, ”she said. It’s a long journey, not just coming out of retirement, but a big injury in 2019 as well.

I am so glad I came out with the win. Keys is a very strong player, with big serve and good forehand. She makes conflicts difficult, but I also have a big serve and a good forehand, Marino added.

Before landing her first ticket to the second round of the Canadian tournament, the 30-year-old became a former Grand Slam finalist.

I knew I had to hit the ball with force to direct the points from the start. This is my strategy, but I did not want to go for amazing winning shots. I wanted to be patient. This is the perfect game plan, This Marino.

Another test for Marino, who will face 31st-ranked Spaniard Paula Badosa on Wednesday, is on the horizon.

The long-awaited duel between natives Bianca Andres and Lela Fernandez will not take place in Montreal. The flag fell 5-7 and 6-7 (4/7) ahead of Harriet Dart on Monday in the first round of the National Bank Open.

Ranked better than her opponent, ranked 172nd and 70th on the WTA Tour, Fernandez failed to take advantage of the opportunities presented to her.

The Canadian has not played a regular game in recent months when she returned to Montreal. Her instability and lack of rhythm cost her a lot against Britain.

She played a good game. Unfortunately this is not my thing. I made a lot of mistakes in the crucial moments. Chances are I didn’t take advantage.

When I get to the pitch I am very motivated and ready to play. Unfortunately I was not able to play my game, She continued.

Fernandez appeared to be leaving late in the first inning, leading 5-4 after winning three consecutive games, but allowed her to come back in favor of her opponent.

Maple Leaf Representative at the Tokyo Olympics, who Reached the second round In Japanese clay, it broke only three times in the first action.

Delaying 4-3 in the second inning, Fernandez began to put pressure on Dart, who resorted to medical times to get rid of his sore throat. Quebecar once again took a 5-4 lead, but errors in the tiebreaker haunted her.

Dart crosses the knives in the second round with the reigning champion Andrescu in the tournament. OntarioWon in 2019 in Toronto And the tournament was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first major draw game in two years

Katerina Sinikova won her first major draw in two years at IGA Stadium. She defeated Jelena Ostapenko 6-1, 6-3 in the first round duel at the National Bank Open.

The Czech, a recent doubles gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, needed 74 minutes to beat his Latvian opponent.

Ostapenko won the French Open in 2017, but is now ranked 32nd in the world. She struggled to serve just 45.6% of her first balls in the game.

Katerina Sinikova easily won her first round match at the National Bank Open.

Photo: Canadian Press / Paul Chiason

In other matches the day before, Badosa defeated Victoria Golubic of Switzerland 6-2 and 6-3, while Nadia Podoroska of Argentina defeated Magda Linet of Poland 6-1, 6-2.

French Fiona Ferro and American Amanda Anisimova also advanced to the second round after the withdrawals of Australian Azla Tomzanovic and Czech Tereza Martinkova.

Ferro and Tom‌janovic drew 2-6 and 6-2, while Anisimova led 6–1 and 4–3 when Martinkova hoisted the white flag over his opponent.

In addition, Melody Collard and Carol Zhao were the first representatives of the maple leaf to enter the Quebec metropolis for the first time.

The Canadian pair defeated Beatrice Gumulia of Indonesia and Emily Webley-Smith of Indonesia 6-2, 6-3 in their doubles match.

Other results of the first round:

• Maria Sakkari (GRE / no 11) Bat Mary Bouzkova (CZE) 6-4, 3-1, leave
• Sorana Syracuse (ROM) beat Alison Riske (USA) 6-3, 6-4
• Ocean Dodin (FRA) bat Carolina Muchova (CZE / no 14) 6-3, 1-6, 6-2
• Anastasia Potapova (RUS) Shelby Rogers (USA) 7-6 (8/6), 6-3
• Ann’s Jaber (SUI / no 13) Bat Clara Burrell (FRA) 6-1, 6-3