Bouchard and Abanda open with home court victories in Quebec
Eugenie Bouchard and Françoise Abanda advance to the second round of the National Bank Cup, after successful opening matches on Wednesday night.
After watching Bouchard make her Olympic debut at Rio 2016, fans welcomed the Canadian as she took on Mandy Minella of Luxembourg in Quebec City.
Related: Bouchard begins Rio 2016 with victory
Minella delivered the match’s first break, however Bouchard returned the favour tying up the score at 1-1. A second break at 3-2 allowed the Canadian to take control of the set, before finishing the match 6-3.
Bouchard – the tournament’s top seed – took an early 2-1 lead in the second. Minella had the chance to break Bouchard at 5-4, however the Canadian didn’t crack and won the point, before taking the set 6-4.
On Thursday, Bouchard will face Russia’s Alla Kudryavtseva in the second round.
Abanda tops Germany’s Mona Barthel
Francoise Abanda celebrates her first round victory at the 2016 Rogers Cup in Montreal. (The Canadian Press/ Paul Chiasson)
Abanda earned her first career victory in her home province of Quebec,
Third time was a charm for Abanda, who won her first career victory at the WTA tournament in Quebec. The Canadian defeated German Mona Barthel 7-6 (7), 6-4 on Tuesday night, despite being ranked 87 spots behind Barthel in the world singles rankings.
Next up, Abanda will face Jessica Pegula of the United States in the second round on Thursday.
