Latest news with #IlkleyOpen
Winnipeg Free Press
24-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canada's Rebecca Marino eager for ‘electric feeling' of playing National Bank Open
Bright lights. Big opponents. Canadian fans chanting her name. Rebecca Marino remembers every detail of her run at the 2021 National Bank Open. 'Having that first match with (American Maddison) Keys on centre court, a night match, and I just remember the crowd being so encouraging and really pushing me to win that match,' she said of the first-round victory. 'It was just kind of like this electric feeling. I was like, 'Oh, I want more of that.' 'Those are the things you remember, more like the emotion and that sort of thing, not necessarily the points or like something specific that happened, but just that atmosphere.' It's a feeling Marino will look to recapture this weekend when she returns to the tournament in Montreal. The 34-year-old Vancouver native received a wild-card spot in the main draw earlier this week and will be one of a record-high eight Canadian women competing at the hard-court event. 'It's very rare we get opportunities to compete in tournaments at home, and the National Bank Open is the largest event we have,' she said. 'So it's really just exciting to play at home, in front of family and friends there. It's really incredible.' The Canadian contingent includes a mix of up-and-coming players such as Carson Branstine and Victoria Mboko, and longtime favourites Leylah Fernandez, Bianca Andreescu and Genie Bouchard. Bouchard recently announced that the tournament will be her last as a professional tennis player. Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, B.C., is also set to retire after the men's tournament in Toronto. Both are players Marino has grown to know well during her career and, if a tribute video is played on the big screen, she expects to be among those in the stadium wiping tears from their eyes. 'It's interesting seeing my peers start to retire,' she said, noting that both Bouchard and Pospisil have been 'integral' to Canadian tennis. 'They had a huge amount of Canadian pride. So I think it's going to be really special for them to compete one last time in front of the home crowd. It's pretty crazy, but I'm very happy for them. It's like a celebration.' Marino has no plans to hang up her racket. Currently ranked No. 118 in the world, Marino is pleased with how she's been playing, even through the grass season — which she admits is not her favourite. She conquered the tricky surface at the Ilkley Open, a WTA 125 event in the U.K. last month, where she made it to the final before falling to American Iva Jovic. 'I've embraced the grass, and I've learned to love it,' Marino said. 'Hard court is my bread and butter, particularly this North America hard court swing. And right now I'm feeling fit, I'm feeling healthy, I feel like my game is heading in the direction I want it to head in.' Earlier in the year, the six-foot-tall right-hander briefly climbed back into the WTA's top 100 players, hitting No. 98 ahead of the Australian Open in January. Marino dropped a tightly contested first-round match to Britain's Katie Boulter in Melbourne, but says she's been playing consistent tennis all year. 'I feel like I just have to retain or maintain that sort of feeling that I belong with that top level, and I can compete with that top level,' she said. 'And in tennis, you have to pick yourself up every single week. Regardless of what happens, only one person wins the entire tournament. 'But look, I feel like I'm right there and it can click at any moment. And in Ilkley, I had a great week, and it clicked. And then I'm hoping I can have another moment like that.' Learning to accept the ebbs and flows of the sport has been a process for Marino. After hitting a career-high No. 38 in June 2011, she stepped away from the professional game in 2013 after dealing with depression and cyberbullying. She went back to school, joined the University of British Columbia's rowing team, and learned how to believe in herself. Five years later, Marino returned to tennis with a new outlook. '(The time away) allowed me to reflect and re-centre my identity and how tennis is a part of that, and not this whole part of my identity,' she explained. 'It's a piece of the Rebecca pie, so to speak.' Adjusting her perspective allowed Marino to fall back in love with her sport. And as long as she's in love with tennis and feeling healthy, Marino plans to keep playing. 'When I came back to tennis, it allowed me to appreciate it in a different way. And it was 100 per cent my choice. I wasn't just going through the motions of it. I wanted to be there. I loved being there,' said Marino, who's also found love off the court. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. She recently got engaged to her partner, James Wasteneys. Balancing her busy tournament schedule with planning a wedding will be a challenge, Marino admitted, but one she's eager to embrace. For now, though, she's focused on Montreal and the unique opportunity to play in Canada. 'Every chance I get, still, I feel is an amazing opportunity that I didn't think I'd have,' Marino said. 'So I just enjoy every moment, because this is my choice, and I love it.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Amarni Banks relishes Roehampton experience despite Wimbledon Qualifying defeat
Amarni Banks admitted she relished her Roehampton experience despite defeat in the second round in Wimbledon qualifying. The 22-year-old, who trains in Loughborough, was defeated by Katarzyna Kawa in straight sets, 6-2 6-4, ensuring that her dream of reaching the fabled lawns of SW19 are put on hold for at least another year. Advertisement The Lexus Ilkley Open quarter-finalist was defeated in the first four games in the opening set and wasn't able to recover. Despite battling a back from a break down to level the second, Banks was unable to mount a comeback, with Kawa clinching the result to advance into the third round. Though the outcome was not what she had hoped for, Banks admitted she enjoyed every moment of her time at qualifying and she is raring for more. "The crowd here is unbeatable, said Banks. "Every time I've played here over the last two years, I've had a great experience. I've really enjoyed myself. I'm disappointed with the loss but I've had a good past few weeks. Advertisement "Any match at this level is a positive. Every match is a tough one so to come through them is something I should take confidence from. I'm learning a lot playing at this level and hopefully I get more matches like this. "The game's getting better each year. The players are getting tougher and I have to keep up and do my best to reach that level but I believe I'll get there consistently one day. "Each year I play on the grass I get more comfortable and confident on it. It's a long time away but I'm already looking forward to next year and competing again." Up next for Banks is a switch to the hard court, although that will have to wait. Advertisement A well-earned rest is next on the cards, with Banks planning to ensure she returns in as best a physical and mental condition as possible. She added: "My opponent played a really good match. "I didn't play my best tennis out there today but I gave it my all physically and mentally and all I can do is take the positives from today and learn from it and move forwards. "It has been pretty full-on the last few weeks so I'm just going to reset before going again after taking everything I've learnt over the past few weeks into the practice courts and coming out stronger. "I'll miss the grass but I'll go back to the hard court and then take my next steps from there." For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website
GMA Network
17-06-2025
- Sport
- GMA Network
Alex Eala loses steam vs. Polish foe to bow out of Nottingham Open
Alex Eala staged a late comeback in Set 2, but ultimately fell short to surrender a 6-4, 6-3 loss against Magda Linette of Poland in the Round of 32 of Nottingham Open on Tuesday night (Manila time) in Great Britain. The 20-year-old Filipina tennis star thus bowed out of the grass tournament after gutting out a pair of victories in the qualifiers. Eala dropped the opening frame then found herself in a 5-3 hole in Set 2 after the sixth-seeded Linette erased an early deficit in Game 8 to cruise to the match point cushion over the Philippine bet. The world no. 77 in women's tennis then staged a rally in Game 9, winning back-to-back points to create a 30-0 cushion. Linette, though, retaliated and even took a 40-30 lead before Eala forced a deuce four times in an extended game. Linette then powered through to hack out the victory to boot out the Filipina. Eala previously saw action in two grass competitions, losing in Round of 32 of Birmingham Classic and quarterfinals of Ilkley Open. —JKC, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
14-06-2025
- Sport
- GMA Network
Alex Eala outlasts French foe in first round of Nottingham Open qualifiers
Mar 27, 2025; Alex Eala waves to fans while leaving the court after her match against Jessica Pegula in a women's singles semifinal of the Miami Open. (Photo: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images/REUTERS) Filipina tennis ace Alex Eala outlasted Varvara Gracheva of France, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, in the first round of the Nottingham Open qualifiers on Saturday in England. The tournament against the world no. 110 Gracheva came a day after Eala made a quarterfinals exit in the Ilkley Open. World no. 77 Eala will face Romania's Anca Todoni, ranked no. 87, in the second round as she hopes to enter the main draw. —JKC, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
13-06-2025
- Sport
- GMA Network
Alex Eala falls short vs Canadian foe in Ilkley Open quarterfinals
Tennis - Madrid Open - Park Manzanares, Madrid, Spain - April 24, 2025 Philippines' Alex Eala reacts during her round of 64 match against Poland's Iga Swiatek REUTERS/Juan Medina Top-seeded Alex Eala fell short against defending champion Rebecca Marino of Canada, 1-6, 6-0, 7(7)-6(4), in the Ilkley Open quarterfinals on Friday. After dominant wins in the first two sets from each player, the third set became a neck-and-neck affair as Eala and Marino fought for a semis slot. In the tiebreaker, the 20-year old Eala had an early 2-1 lead before the 34-year old Marino scored five straight to reach match point. The Filipina player, however, salvaged two match points to inch closer but the veteran Marino, ranked 107th in the world, flexed her composure to seal the victory. Prior to this, world no. 77 Eala defeated Filipino-Aussie Lizette Cabrera and Swiss player Valentina Ryser in the first two rounds of the tournament. —JKC, GMA Integrated News
