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NBC Sports
27 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Leylah Fernandez criticizes schedule after losing in Montreal in quick return after Washington title
MONTREAL — Leylah Fernandez criticized the schedule at the National Bank Open after the Canadian lost in the first round of her home tournament after winning the title in Washington. Fernandez was routed 6-4, 6-1 by Australian Maya Joint in just 1 hour, 15 minutes. The No. 24-ranked player won her fourth career WTA title in Washington and was hoping for additional rest before returning to the court in Montreal. Fernandez said she received 'a lot of promises' that she would play during Tuesday's night session, giving her more time to recover between the two tournaments, but learned while traveling that wouldn't be the case. 'I did not receive that,' she said. 'That hurt me because I was very looking forward to be playing at night, but I guess it's a little bit political issues at that point.' Instead, top-seeded Coco Gauff played fellow American Danielle Collins to open the night session, overcoming 23 double-faults to win 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (2) for her first victory since the French Open final. Valerie Tetreault, the National Bank Open tournament director in Montreal, said she promised Fernandez she would 'fight so that she could have the time she wanted.' 'But I didn't win my fight,' Tetreault said, noting that the WTA Tour determines scheduling. 'I received the request for her to play in the evening. It's my role to have conversations with the WTA, so I pushed as much as possible for her to have what she wanted.' Tetreault added that exceptions already had been made for Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open runner-up. The 22-year-old and Joint were among the final three first-round matches held until Tuesday, despite her half of the bracket starting play on Sunday. 'WTA protocols mean first-round matches need to be completed before second-round matches are played, ensuring fairness to all players,' Tennis Canada said in a statement. 'Given Leylah won the title in Washington on Sunday, she was not able to arrive in Montreal until the early hours of Monday morning. As a result, the WTA made the decision to play her opening match in the latest possible first-round slot.' Mirra Andreeva, the No. 4 seed, advanced to the third round when 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu withdrew after sustaining an ankle injury during her first-round victory. No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini was upset by Japan's Aoi Ito in a third-set tiebreaker, while No. 8 Emma Navarro rolled past Rebecca Marino 6-1, 6-2.
NBC Sports
27 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Alexander Zverev, Lorenzo Musetti, and Holger Rune win opening matches at National Bank Open
TORONTO — Top-seeded Alexander Zverev beat Adam Walton 7-6 (6), 6-4 at the National Bank Open in his first match since Wimbledon. Zverev is trying to get back on track after reaching the Australian Open final in a strong start to the season. He was upset by Arthur Rinderknech in the first round at Wimbledon, saying afterward he was struggling mentally. '!'m trying to find ways to kind of get out of this hole. I keep kind of finding myself back in it in a way,' Zverev said. The German is ranked third but seeded No. 1 in this tournament that he won in 2017 after the withdrawals of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Zverev won a 52-shot rally in the tiebreaker to earn a set point. 'It was a very important moment and a very important point for me,' Zverev said. 'I was lucky to get through in the first set and then finish it off in two.' Third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti beat Australian qualifier James Duckworth 7-5, 6-1, while No. 5 Holger Rune was a 7-6 (7), 6-3 winner over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on a hot, sunny afternoon. All seeded players had a first-round bye in the Masters 1000 tournament that also saw No. 5 Jack Draper and No. 6 Novak Djokovic withdraw. No. 8 seed Casper Ruud, No. 10 Daniil Medvedev, No. 11 Karen Khachanov, No. 14 Francisco Cerundolo and No. 18 Alexei Popyrin, the defending champion, were among the other winners. Reilly Opelka upset 16th-seeded Tomas Machac in three sets.
NBC Sports
27 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Coco Gauff overcomes 23 double-faults for first win since French Open title
MONTREAL — Coco Gauff made a winning return to competition, even though some old serving woes came back with her. Gauff had to overcome 23 double-faults to win for the first time since the French Open final, outlasting fellow American Danielle Collins 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (2) in the second round of the National Bank Open. Gauff hadn't played since losing in the first round at Wimbledon and appeared to have made a change to her serving grip during her time away. She struggled with it during the match, hitting some serves that were well long and others that were soft and easily pounced on by the powerful Collins. 'It was a frustrating match for me,' Gauff said. 'I felt like I was practicing well and then I don't think I transferred it today, but hopefully I got my bad match of the tournament out of the way and I could come back stronger the next round.' A balky serve ended her U.S. Open title defense last year, when she committed 19 double-faults in a fourth-round loss to Emma Navarro. The serve was even more erratic recently, though Gauff did hit a good one to end the match with an ace. She is the top seed in Montreal due to the withdrawal of top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, the player Gauff beat to win the French Open in June. Gauff will face Veronika Kudermetova in the third round and said she had plenty left after the match that lasted 2 hours, 55 minutes, adding she could possibly cut that in half if she cleaned up her serve. 'I felt that I was playing well except that part of my game,' Gauff said. 'But I felt like off the ground I was playing pretty well.'
