Canadian Trio Eliminated in Guadalajara

After going undefeated on the opening day of main draw play at the Guadalajara Open, it was the opposite outcome for the Canadians still in the singles draw at the WTA 1000 tournament in Mexico as Eugenie Bouchard, Stacey Fung, and Carol Zhao were all eliminated on Monday.

Bouchard, who reached the second round for the second straight year, more than held her own against world no. 17 Veronika Kudermetova and gave her all she could handle before falling 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-4 in a tightly contested match. The 29-year-old Canadian had won her two previous meetings against Kudermetova so it’s not surprising that this third contest was close. She needed a set to adjust to her opponent’s weight of shot and managed to show some of her vintage form in the final two sets as well as an impressive fighting spirit that allowed her to keep the match within reach until the very end.  

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After winning the second set in a tiebreak, Bouchard fought off multiple break points in her first two service games of the final frame before ultimately getting broken. She received a visit from the trainer shortly after to get her knee treated and taped, but still managed to level the set at 3-3. Kudermetova regained her advantage in the following and was able to hold on to her lead to book her spot in the third round. Bouchard will now shift her focus to doubles with her partner Maria Fernanda Navarro Oliva.

Meanwhile, Fung made her WTA main draw debut and acquitted herself admirably in the opening round against Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine, taking a set off the world no. 33 in a 6-3, 2-6, 6-0 loss. For her part, Zhao fell 6-4, 6-3 to former Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin of the United States.

Leylah Annie Fernandez will play her second-round match on Tuesday in Guadalajara against no. 13 seed Elise Mertens of Belgium at approximately 5 p.m. ET. She’s also scheduled to play doubles with Taylor Townsend against Ons Jabeur and Peyton Stearns. The U.S. Open champions, Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe are also in the draw and will begin their title bid on Tuesday.

Be sure to watch all of the action on TSN and RDS.