WTA Montreal: First win for Maria Sakkari after string of losses; swift progress for Ons Jabeur

Montreal: Maria Sakkari, the 11th seed, advanced to the second round of the WTA Montreal Masters for the first time with a 6-4, 3-1 defeat of Marie Bouzkova on Monday. The incomplete match made Sakkari the first of the seeds to advance, with the top eight all receiving first-round byes. Sakkari is the first Greek woman to get this far here. Her ailing opponent needed a medical timeout before quitting the match after 91 minutes on court. “It was unfortunate she had to retire. Being a break down in the first set, then finding a way to win was the key today,” Sakkari said. “I’m very glad I gave myself a chance to play a better match in the second round.” The winner said that having fans on hand made a big difference: “It was a little bit shocking when I walked on the court and there was a crowd. “I haven’t seen that since Roland Garros. That was a very nice thing.” Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion, lost her opening match, falling to Katerina Siniakova, the Olympic doubles gold medalist alongside Barbora Krejcikova. The Czech posted a 6-1, 6-3 victory to reach the second round in an hour and a quarter, with Ostapenko double-faulting six times and losing her serve on seven occasions. American teen Amanda Anisimova won a matchup of qualifiers, the world number 86 defeating Tereza Martincova 6-1, 4-3 when the Czech retired. Anisimova has now won both of the pair’s matches, the first played in 2019 at Mallorca. The tournament debutant was playing only her second match since a first-round defeat at Wimbledon. “I’m feeling really good and it’s good to have a couple matches in quallies,” the 19-year-old said. “I was playing well today. My opponent wasn’t feeling too good. I feel sorry for her. “I’ll build on the last three matches and I’m looking forward to my next round.” Anisimova, who has struggled with injuries in recent seasons, said she is now fully fit. “I feel better and I feel stronger. Hopefully I can just build on that this year. I’m looking forward to this season and the US Open.” Ons Jabeur of Tunisia needed less than an hour to put out number 101 Frenchwoman Clara Burel 6-1, 6-3. Spain’s 31st-ranked Paula Badosa defeated Swiss Viktorija Golubic, a Wimbledon quarter-finalist, 6-2, 6-3 while France’s Fiona Ferro beat Ajla Tomljanovic 2-6, 6-2 when the Australian retired. French qualifier Oceane Dodin upset 14th seed Karolina Muchova 6-3, 1-6, 6-2, winning despite 10 double-faults. Nadia Podoroska flew the flag for Argentina as the first from her country to play here in a decade, defeating Pole Magda Linette 6-1, 6-2 in less than an hour.