Wimbledon titleholder Iga Swiatek from Poland advanced effortlessly into the third round of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, triumphing over China’s Guo Hanyu with a score of 6-3, 6-1 on Wednesday.
The second seed, Swiatek, showcased her power with four aces while seizing six out of eight break points, completing the match in just 72 minutes.
In a challenging turn of events, Leylah Fernandez from Laval, Quebec, along with her sister Bianca Jolie, faced defeat in doubles, losing 6-4, 6-2 to the top-seeded Italian pair, Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini, just a day after she criticized unfavorable scheduling for her early exit in singles.
The D.C. Open champion, Fernandez, had hoped for a later match on Tuesday to aid her recovery, but unexpectedly fell in straight sets in the afternoon to Australia’s Maya Joint.
Kayla Cross from London, Ontario, and Victoria Mboko from Toronto were unable to secure a win against Jiang Xinhu of China and Chan Hao-Ching of Taiwan, losing 6-3, 7-6 (0).
Meanwhile, second-seeded Gabriel Dabrowski from Ottawa and her partner Erin Routliffe from New Zealand were set to compete against American duo Sofia Kenin and Caroline Dolehide.
In the evening session on Wednesday, Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Quebec, was ready to battle 17th seed Belinda Bencic from Switzerland in her second-round singles match.
Bouchard, who revealed that this tournament would mark her final appearance in her hometown, previously defeated Colombia’s Emilia Arango in the first round.
This year’s National Bank Open, a prestigious WTA 1000-level event, introduced an exciting new 12-day, 96-player format, granting the top 32 seeds a direct bye to the second round.
