MONTREAL — Canada’s Kayla Cross and Ariana Arseneault have been eliminated from the National Bank Open after the opening round.
Cross, who initially held the lead, ultimately fell to Kamilla Rakhimova of Russia with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in a match that lasted nearly two hours at IGA Stadium.
The 20-year-old from London, Ontario, currently ranked 151st in the world, was unable to maintain her advantage against the 62nd-ranked Rakhimova. This match marked their inaugural encounter on the WTA Tour.
Rakhimova is set to clash with Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, the tournament’s 10th seed, in the second round, having benefitted from a first-round bye for the top 32 seeds at this WTA 1000 event.
Later in the day, Richmond Hill’s Arseneault was defeated by Japan’s Naomi Osaka, going down 6-4, 6-2.
The former world No. 1 Osaka is gearing up to face Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova in her next match.
This evening, local star Eugenie Bouchard will kick off her final professional tournament against Colombia’s Emiliana Arango. The 31-year-old Bouchard, once ranked No. 5 globally, has announced her retirement will follow this event in her hometown.
Carson Branstine, who represents Canada through her connections in Toronto but grew up in California, is set to face Greece’s Maria Sakkari in the final match of the night.
Toronto’s Victoria Mboko, along with Mississauga’s Bianca Andreescu and Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino, all secured their spots in the second round with victories on Sunday.
However, Andreescu’s participation for the remainder of the tournament remains uncertain after she injured her left ankle while playing match point against Barbora Krejcikova from Czechia on Sunday night.
