Bouchard extends career with first round win at Canadian Open
Bouchard announced earlier 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," Raducanu said. "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 seed Liudmila Samsonova of Russia.
In the men's tournament, which is being playing in Toronto, Australian Adam Walton roared back from a set down to defeat Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi 4-6 6-0 6-3 and set up a second-round meeting with top seed Alexander Zverev of Germany.
Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta, the tournament's 2022 champion, came from behind to defeat Liam Draxl 2-6 6-4 6-4.
Several top players withdrew ahead of the Masters and WTA 1000 tournament including world number ones Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper. — Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
a day ago
- Observer
Zverev, Rybakina into Canadian Open semifinals
TORONTO: Alexander Zverev reached his 21st Masters 1000 semifinal on Monday by ending the Canadian title defence of Alexei Popyrin 6-7 (8/10), 6-4, 6-3 at the ATP Toronto Masters. The final game, with Zverev serving at 5-3, was interrupted by shouts from an unruly fan who was tossed out by security. The distraction ended a run of 14 consecutive points on serve, with the seed double faulting once he was able to continue serving. He finished off the evening with a sharp volley winner at the net on his first match point. Zverev completed his 40th win of the year in just over two and a half hours. The world number three won the tournament in 2017 but had not been past the quarterfinals in Canada since. "After losing the first set, I had to tell myself we were both playing well," the holder of seven Masters trophies said. "I had one or two mistakes at the end of the first, but it was a high-level match. "I felt that if I kept playing well, I would get my chances — and I did. I can't complain about the second and third sets." Zverev will bid for the oddly scheduled Thursday final against three time semifinalist Karen Khachanov, who dismissed young American Alex Michelsen 6-4, 7-6 (7/3). "It was a very close, competitive match," Khachanov said. "I had to come back from some tough situations. "How you handle that mentally is important. I was glad to close it out in the second set. "I had to try and not give him the opportunity to step in and attack; that's what I did today." Zverev has won five of the seven matches he has played against Khachanov. Popyrin and Zverev duelled throughout the evenly matched 71-minute opening set as it went into a tiebreaker. Zverev was unable to convert on two winning chances, but Popyrin came good on his own second opportunity with a net cord winner that caught his opponent stranded at the baseline. The German began to turn the tables in the second set, taking a 4-1 lead only to see the Aussie level at 4-all. Zverev pulled away to level the match at a set apiece, breaking for 6-4 as Popyrin sent a volley wide. The top seed began the final set with a 3-0 lead on his way into the tournament final four at the pre-US Open event. Popyrin remains winless against Zverev after losing all four of their matches. Elena Rybakina (KAZ) returns the ball to Marta Kostyuk (UKR) in quarterfinal play at IGA Stadium. -- Imagn Images RYBAKINA TO FACE TEEN MBOKO Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, and Canadian teen Victoria Mboko advanced to a WTA Canadian Open semifinal matchup with triumphs on Monday in the Montreal hard court event. World number 12 Rybakina of Kazakhstan led 6-1, 2-1 when Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk retired in the second set with a wrist injury. Mboko, the shocker of the event, dispatched Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-4, 6-2 by taking the final six games to reach her first WTA 1000 semifinal in pursuit of her first trip to a WTA final. "I'm so excited to be in the semifinal here," Mboko told the supportive home nation crowd. "I want to thank everyone for your support once again. It has been unreal." Rybakina won their only prior meeting 6-3, 7-5 last month in the second round at Washington. The top five seeds and seven of the top 10 seeds were ousted before the quarterfinals, opening the door for such upstarts as 18-year-old Mboko, who eliminated top seed Coco Gauff. World number 85 Mboko, who began the year raked 333rd in the world, has ensured herself a jump into the top 50 for the first time in her career next week. Mboko broke 51st-ranked Bouzas Maneiro for a 5-3 lead. The Spaniard broke back in the ninth game only to drop the first set after 43 minutes when Mboko broke again. Bouzas Maneiro broke to open the second set then held but Mboko never dropped a game from there, taking the match after 77 minutes when the Spaniard sent a backhand beyond the baseline. The crowd, which chanted "it's not over" in French after the match, has been the best part of the amazing run, Mboko said. "I train here (in Canada) and it's always a great opportunity to be here," Mboko said. "My first time playing in Montreal has been an unreal experience and I couldn't be more grateful." Rybakina, seeded ninth, seeks her third WTA title after Rome and Indian Wells in 2023. She has not reached a final since last year at Miami. Rybakina broke 24th-seeded Kostyuk to open the match and led 2-1 when Kostyuk received medical treatment on her right wrist and forearm. Kostyuk netted a backhand to surrender a break in the fifth game and Rybakina broke again to claim the first set in 37 minutes when Kostyuk sent a forehand long. In the second set, Rybakina held twice before Kostyuk retired after 54 minutes due to her wrist issues, walking off the court in tears. Tuesday's quarterfinal matches send four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka of Japan against Ukraine's 10th-seeded Elina Svitolina and US sixth seed Madison Keys, this year's Australian Open champion, against Danish 16th seed Clara Tauson. -- AFP
Observer
3 days ago
- Observer
Norris fends off fierce challenge from Piastri to clinch thrilling GP victory
BUDAPEST: Lando Norris held off McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri to win the Hungarian Grand Prix on a one-stop strategy and slash the Australian's Formula One lead to nine points going into the August break. Norris completed 39 of the 70 laps on a single set of hard tyres while Piastri stopped twice and closed a 12-second gap to just 0.6 at the finish, with a nail-biting chase to the chequered flag and a near-collision. George Russell took a distant third, 20 seconds down the road, to complete the Hungaroring podium for Mercedes and take his fifth podium of the season. 'I'm dead. I'm dead. It was tough,' gasped Norris, who started in third place -- with Piastri second -- and then went down to fifth after being squeezed at the start. 'We weren't really planning on the one-stop but after the first lap it was kind of our only option to get back into things. 'I didn't think it would get us the win, I thought it would get us maybe into second.' The win was Norris's fifth of the season, and third in the last four, to Piastri's six. It was also McLaren's seventh one-two in 14 races. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was a frustrated fourth, after starting on pole position but losing out with a two-stop strategy and a five-second penalty for erratic driving as Russell challenged. Fernando Alonso finished fifth for Aston Martin, ahead of Sauber's sixth-placed Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto. Lance Stroll was seventh for Aston Martin ahead of Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson, with Red Bull's reigning champion Max Verstappen and Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli completing the top 10 scoring positions. Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton, an eight-times winner in Hungary, started in 12th place for Ferrari and finished there. The Briton was lapped by the leaders six laps from the chequered flag. — Reuters
Observer
3 days ago
- Observer
Brazil edge Colombia in Copa final thriller
Brazil successfully defended their Women's Copa America crown by defeating Colombia 5-4 in a shootout on Saturday to claim their ninth continental title after a roller-coaster final in Quito ended 4-4. The decider at the Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado saw Colombia take the lead three times, only for Brazil to respond on each occasion. Brazil great Marta forced extra time with a late equaliser and the veteran struck again in the 105th minute to seemingly seal victory. But a resilient Colombia found yet another equaliser to send the encounter to penalties, where Brazil's experience ultimately prevailed. 'I think women's soccer has been growing a lot. I think the trend is for it to be more competitive. Everyone here deserved a match like this. Congratulations to Colombia too,' Brazil's Amanda Gutierres said. 'This means a lot. I think it's Brazil's job. It's that mentality of never giving up. That's a source of pride for Brazil. I think it means a lot to Brazilians.' Both teams created early chances but the breakthrough came in the 25th minute when Colombia's Linda Caicedo capped off a tidy passing move with a composed low finish from close range. Brazil got the equaliser in the dying moments of the first half when Angelina stepped up to calmly convert a penalty after VAR confirmed a foul by Jorelyn Carabali on Gio Garbelini. Colombia regained the lead in the 69th minute via a Brazil own goal, defender Tarciane attempting a routine back pass to goalkeeper Lorena but unaware that she had already charged off her line to collect the ball. Gutierres equalised for Brazil again 10 minutes from time with her sixth goal in the tournament, a fierce strike off Garbelini's pass, but striker Mayra Ramirez restored Colombia's lead by netting after a quick counter-attack eight minutes later. 'Las Cafeteras' were within touching distance of their first continental title until Marta, introduced as a late substitute, delivered a moment of magic with a stunning equaliser six minutes into stoppage time, forcing the game into extra time. Marta struck again in the 105th minute when she tapped in a fine cross from Angelina but Colombia turned things around again as Leicy Santos' brilliant free kick sailed into the top corner in the 115th minute. The penalty shootout mirrored the drama of the match, with Colombia taking the early advantage after Angelina's miss. However, when Manuela Pavi failed to convert and goalkeeper Lorena saved Leicy Santos' effort Brazil held the advantage. Marta had the chance to seal victory but Katherine Tapia's save sent the shootout to sudden death, where Carabali's miss finally handed Brazil their ninth continental title. — Reuters
