Canada's Mboko closes in on main draw berth at Italian Open tennis tournament
The 18-year-old from Toronto fired seven aces on the clay courts in Rome and broke Bucsa five times on 10 chances to wrap up the win in one hour 14 minutes.
Mboko will next face ninth seed Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia for the chance to advance to her second career 1000-level main draw. She advanced to the second round of the Miami Open in March.
Mboko, the world No. 158, has a 31-3 record this season, largely playing on the lower-tier ITF World Tour, where she has won five titles.
In other qualifying action Monday, Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., fell 6-4, 6-4 to 10th-seed Emiliana Arango of Colombia.
Thursdays
Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.
Both players struggled to hold serve, with Arango converting nine break points to Stakusic's seven.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2025.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Sun
27 minutes ago
- Toronto Sun
Genie Bouchard wins in Montreal to extend her tennis career. Raducanu and Osaka advance
Published Jul 28, 2025 • 1 minute read Eugenie Bouchard of Canada celebrates after defeating Emiliana Arango of Colombia during her first-round match at the National Bank Open tennis tournament in Montreal on Monday. Photo by Christopher Katsarov / The Canadian Press MONTREAL (AP) — Genie Bouchard extended her tennis career for at least one more match Monday, beating Emiliana Arango 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 in the first round of the National Bank Open. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Bouchard, who reached the Wimbledon final and two other Grand Slam semifinals in 2014, announced this month that she would retire after a final appearance in her hometown tournament. She then opened it with her first WTA Tour victory since 2023 — and the 300th of her career — and advanced to face No. 17 seed Belinda Bencic. Bouchard reached No. 5 in the rankings in 2014 but the 31-year-old has largely switched to pickleball, playing just one match this season before being given a wild card into the Montreal tournament. After splitting the first two sets, Bouchard broke the 82nd-ranked Arango twice — first with a forehand, then from the Colombian's missed volley — to build a 5-1 lead in the decisive third. Arango broke back with Bouchard serving for the match to make it 5-2, but the Canadian went up 40-love in the ensuing game. Arango then sent her backhand wide on Bouchard's second match point. Bouchard waved and blew kisses to the crowd after the win. 'I told my family that if I won, I would come out of retirement,' she said from center court. 'I felt like the old Genie out there.' Emma Raducanu, playing just two days after losing in the semifinals in Washington, beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-2, 6-4. Naomi Osaka, in her first tournament since announcing she would no longer work with coach Patrick Mouratoglou, eliminated Ariana Arseneault 6-4, 6-2. MLB Toronto & GTA Golf Celebrity World
Toronto Star
5 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Canadians Kayla Cross, Ariana Arseneault exit in NBO first round
Kayla Cross, of Canada, tracks the ball during her first round match against Kamilla Rakhimova, of Russia, at the National Bank Open tennis tournament in Montreal, Monday, July 28, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes GAC flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
Winnipeg Free Press
9 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canada's Dan Martin falls in straight sets in opening round of National Bank Open
TORONTO – Canada's Dan Martin fell 6-3, 6-0 to Spain's Jaume Munar in opening-round action at the National Bank Open tennis tournament on Monday. The 26-year-old Martin made it into the main draw as a qualifier after defeating Japan's Taro Daniel in three sets on Saturday. Martin, ranked 560th in the world, went without an ace or a break-point opportunity in Monday's loss, only winning 40 per cent of his first-serve points. Munar, ranked 51st in the world, fired six aces without a double fault in the one-hour, 10-minute match. He also broke on five of his 10 chances while winning 86 per cent of his first-serve points. The Spaniard will next face 14th-seeded Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Later Monday, Liam Draxl of Newmarket, Ont., plays Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain, and Alexis Galarneau of Laval, Que., is set to face Arthur Rinderknech of France. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025.
