Marina Stakusic falls to Jacquline Cristian
Marina Stakusic was unable to build on a strong first set as she fell to Jaqueline Cristian 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the first round of the National Bank Open in Montreal.
The Mississauga, Ont., native looked poised to complete the upset after a fast start, but Cristian got stronger as the match progressed, quickly taking the next two sets to advance to the second round.
Cristian will take on world No. 23 Linda Noskova in the second round. She is ranked at a career-best 49th as she searches for the first singles title of her career.
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The Canadian came out of the gates quickly, holding on her first service game and following up with a break of Cristian to open a 2-0 lead in the first set. Stakusic continued to put pressure on Cristian for the remainder of the set, leaning on a flurry of powerful forehand winners before converting her second break to take the first set 6-2.
The world No. 49 turned the tables to start the second set, breaking Stakusic at love to begin before holding to take a 2-0 lead. The 20-year-old Canadian committed several unforced errors on her previously strong forehand as Cristian broke her once again, eventually taking the second set 6-2 to force a third.
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Cristian got off to another fast start in the third, breaking Stakusic once again to start the set for the early lead. Things fell apart for the Canadian from that point on, as she was broken three times by Cristian in the deciding set.
Stakusic, ranked No. 142 in the world, reached the second round at the NBO last year when she defeated Erika Andreeva for her first WTA 1000-level win.
This was the first match between the two on the WTA Tour.
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Mboko Victorious in Montreal Debut
Victoria Mboko’s first National Bank Open main-draw match was an impressive one. The rising Canadian star overpowered Australia’s Kimberly Birrell on Sunday in straight sets to become the first Canadian winner at the 2025 NBO.
The 18-year-old started applying pressure early and, even though Birrell did not go away quietly, Mboko’s firepower proved too much. She was able to serve her way to a 7-5, 6-3 victory.
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The pair exchanged breaks in the early stages, with Mboko striking first to go up 2-0 only for Birrell to claw back to 2-2. From there, the pair began exchanging routine holds. The young Canadian found a rhythm on her own serve, holding to love three times in a row to go up 6-5.
Serving to stay in the set, Birrell played a poor game, going down 15-40 and then spraying backhand well wide to gift the opening set to Mboko.
Early in the second set, the Canadian piled on the pressure and Birrell started to crack again. On the fourth break point of the game, the Aussie double faulted to hand the advantage to Mboko.
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It seemed like every time she needed it, Mboko was able to conjure up a big serve to maintain the advantage. On the lone break point she faced at 4-2, she blasted an ace past the Aussie. Then, serving for the match at 5-3, she finished it off with back-to-back big serves.
Mboko will face former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin, the 23rd seed, in the second round.
Andreescu Survives Injury Scare to Defeat Krejcikova
Bianca Andreescu came out on top in the battle of the former Grand Slam champions on Sunday. The Canadian overcame an injury scare late in the match to defeat two-time major winner Barbora Krejcikova 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the National Bank Open in Montreal.
Andreescu served exceptionally well under pressure, getting broken once on ten break points faced in the evening. The world No. 187 also had her fair share of break opportunities as she converted on three of her eight.
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The match began with a flurry of break opportunities as the Slam champs each faced four break points over their first three service games. The crowd-favourite Andreescu saved all four and converted on one to lead 4-2.
At 5-3, 15-40, the Mississauga-native brushed off Krejcikova’s pressure on serve once again, winning four-straight points to take the opening set.
To start the second, the Czech continued to make things difficult for Andreescu on serve. At 0-1, the Canadian faced four break points, and Krejcikova was finally able to convert on the fourth try. After a hold, the world No. 80 led 3-0.
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Undeterred, Andreescu turned the tables, managing a pair of holds and breaks to take a 4-3 lead in the set. The world No. 187 won 11 of 12 points as part of that run.
Andreescu had to hold the rest of the way and, for the first time in the match, the 2019 U.S. Open champion didn’t face a break point over two-straight service games.
However, at 5-4, with Andreescu holding an advantage to seal the match, the Mississauga-native suffered a scary ankle roll that forced her to take an injury timeout.
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With the ankle heavily wrapped up, the former world No. 4 was determined to finish the match and she did exactly that. Andreescu recorded two unreturned serves on her second delivery and was brought to tears in front of the home crowd as she won the match.
The Canadian’s resilient win sets up a second-round clash against world No. 5 Mirra Andreeva on Tuesday.
Marino Roars Back to Beat Jacquemot
It took some time, but once Rebecca Marino hit her stride, there was no stopping her on Sunday night in Montreal. The Canadian roared back after a slow start, winning nine of the last 11 games, plus a tiebreak, to beat Elsa Jacquemot in straight sets 7-6(2), 6-1.
Despite her serve being her biggest weapon, Marino struggled early. She faced a break point in the opening game and then was broken in back-to-back service games. The only reason Jacquemot did not run away with the set was that the British Columbian managed a break of her own in the fourth game.
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Jacquemot served for the set at 5-4 but Marino upped the intensity. She raced ahead love-40 and converted her second break point to draw level. The Canadian then dominated the ensuing tiebreak, charging out to a 5-1 lead on her way to stealing the set.
In the second set, Marino was reading the Jacquemot delivery perfectly. She broke the Frenchwoman every time she stepped up to the line, four total breaks in the second. The only game Marino lost was on her own serve. She finished off the win with a break to love.
Next up for Marino will be No. 8 seed and 2024 Toronto semifinalist Emma Navarro.
Feature Photo : Pascal Ratthe
