Posted Apr 27, 2023 4:41pm ET
Canada’s Rebecca Marino watches her shot after returning to Belgium’s Ysaline Bonaventure during a qualifying singles match for the Billie Jean King Cup in Vancouver on Friday, April 14, 2023. (Darryl Dyck/THE CANADIAN PRESS)
MADRID — Canada’s Rebecca Marino is eliminated from the Madrid Open in the round of 64 after losing in straight sets to Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6-3, 6-1 on Thursday.
Vancouver’s Marino had five double faults and won 49 percent of her first serves and 22 percent of her second serves in the match. Mertens, in 24th place, had three aces and won 72 percent of her first serve points.
Toronto’s Bianca Andreescu opens her tournament against China’s Wang Xiyu in the round of 64 on Friday. Andreescu has not played since she tore two ligaments in her left ankle at the Miami Open in late March.
Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski and Brazil partner Luisa Stefani play American Sofia Kenin and Poland Magda Linette in doubles in the round of 32 on Friday morning.
Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal and Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ontario will face Colombian duo Juan Sebastián Cabal and Robert Farah in men’s doubles on Friday.
The two Canadians will play their first singles games on Saturday. Auger-Aliassime meets Dusan Lajovic from Serbia and Zhang Zhizhen from China in the round of 16.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on April 27, 2023.