Canadian Kayla Cross upset Katie Boulter 7-6(3), 7-5 on Monday to earn the first WTA 1000 win, and main-draw win on the WTA Tour, of her career.
The 172nd-ranked Cross was previously 0-2 in WTA main draws, having lost at the NBO last year and in Granby in 2022.
Boulter, the former world No. 23 and current No. 69, has now lost in the first round in four straight tournaments.
Both players were dominant on serve early, as Cross and Boulter won 100 and 88 per cent of their first-serve points, respectively, through seven games. After holding at love to go up 4-3, Cross carried the momentum right into Boulter’s service game, breaking the 69th-ranked Brit at love for the first break of the match.
After serves dominated early, the set flipped on its head, as four of the next five games ended in a break after Cross went up 4-3. The Canadian ended up down 6-5 but fought off four set points to force the tiebreak that she would win 7-3 to take a hotly contested first set.
Much like the first set, the second began with 10 straight holds as the pair went back and forth searching for their opportunity. At 5-5, Cross finally broke through with the first break of the set when Boulter sent a smash long, handing the game and control of the match to Cross.
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Serving for the match, the 21-year-old Canadian would make no mistake and finish off Boulter to a standing ovation on Centre Court at Sobeys Stadium.
Cross earned her way into the event after securing the Road to the NBO wildcard by winning the title at the W75 event in Granby.
Missed opportunities plague Andreescu in first-round loss to Bartunkova
Bianca Andreescu was eliminated in the first round of the NBO after dropping her match to Nikola Bartunkova 7-5, 6-4 on Monday.
It’s a tough loss to swallow for Andreescu, who could not capitalize four set-point opportunities in the first.
Bartunkova, who sits at a career-high No. 41 after reaching the round of 32 at Wimbledon, will now move on to face 27th seed Clara Tauson in the second round.
Andreescu had the Czech on her heels from the start, as she forced two break points in the opening game but was unable to capitalize as she did later in the set. The Canadian snatched momentum from Bartunkova soon after, earning the first break of the match to take a 3-2 lead. After holding her serve, the Mississauga, ON-native quickly broke Bartunkova again to go up a double break.
Andreescu squandered a glorious chance to close the set, serving up 5-2 and leading 40-0, but Bartunkova came all the way back with five straight points to earn her first break of the match. Her next service game did not go as planned either, as she opened with a double fault and eventually conceded once again as Bartunkova evened the set at 5-5.
The Czech followed up the break with another hold, thanks to a pair of powerful aces, to go up 6-5, leaving Andreescu one more service game to salvage the set. Unfortunately for the 2019 NBO champion, Bartunkova would not give an inch and finished off the set with another break thanks to an Andreescu unforced error.
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Andreescu recomposed herself for the second set and held her first four service games, overcoming multiple unforced errors and a triple-break point opportunity that threatened to hand Bartunkova the momentum for good.
Serving to save the match at 4-5, Andreescu was unable to pull herself from the fire as Bartunkova broke her one final time to finish it off.
Andreescu’s singles struggles continue, as he is still searching for her first WTA main draw win since beating Sofia Kenin in May at the Italian Open. She is now 4-4 in the first round of the NBO in her career.
Zhao falls to Linette in last career NBO match
Carol Zhao was unable to extend her career at her home tournament as she dropped a hard-fought 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 decision to Magda Linette in the first round in Toronto on Monday.
The 31-year-old announced earlier in the day that the 2026 season would be her final one on tour.
Linette, 34, won for just the second time in her career at the NBO and will advance to face 13th seed Iva Jovic in the second round.
Zhao came out strong in her final appearance at the Canadian 1000 event, as she went toe-to-toe with the much higher-ranked Linette in the first set. The 31-year-old Canadian never faced a break point and converted the only break of the first, as she would eventually clinch the set on serve on set point No. 4 to take the lead.
Photo : Morgan Givens/Wick Photography for National Bank Open
The second set swung heavily in Linette’s favour, as she broke the Canadian in her first service game and jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead, after which Zhao took a medical timeout. Following the treatment, Linette broke Zhao for the second time in the set and cruised to clinch the second set 6-1.
Things looked dire for Zhao early in the third as she was broken twice on her first two service games to fall behind 3-1. The Canadian was unable to find the same form she had in the first set and faced a total of eight break points in the third set due in part to 10 double faults in the match. Despite the hiccups, Zhao broke Linette twice in the third as the pair were deadlocked 4-4 with momentum behind the home-crowd favourite.
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Unfortunately for the Grandstand fans, Zhao could not find an extra gear, as the 65th-ranked Linette broke her one more time, the fifth time in the match, and would quickly hold to finish off the opening-round win.
Zhao ends her career at the NBO with a 0-6 record at the WTA 1000 event.
After her on-court career ends, Zhao will join Tennis Canada’s board of directors as an observing member.
Brace falls to Kessler
Canadian Cadence Brace was unable to win her first WTA 1000 match as she fell to McCartney Kessler 6-3, 6-3 in the first round of the National Bank Open in Toronto on Monday.
This was Brace’s first match against a Top 50 opponent and she was in search of her first main-draw win in four years.
Kessler has had success at this tournament before, as she reached the fourth round last year, upsetting Mirra Andreeva along the way. The 27-year-old is looking to add a fourth title to her trophy case and first since winning the Nottingham Open last June.
The first set went south quickly for the Canadian, as she was broken in her first service game to open the match. Brace was on the verge of conceding complete control of the set down 3-1 and facing double break point but was able to battle back to grind out the hold. Brace was unable to overcome the early break, though, and the world No. 47 eventually broke the Canadian again to finish off the first set 6-3.
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Kessler was similarly dominant in the second set, breaking Brace’s serve in her second opportunity to take firm control of the match. The 254th-ranked Canadian was unable to mount a significant challenge as her American opponent would quickly finish off the set on schedule for the victory.
This was Brace’s first appearance in a WTA 1000 event and fourth WTA main draw match of her career. The 21-year-old lost in the first rounds of this year’s Merida Open and Memphis Classic, in addition to her second-round exit in Granby in 2022.
Marino Caps Tough Day for Canadians with loss to Sonmez
Rebecca Marino’s seventh appearance at the NBO was a quick one, as she fell in straight sets to Zeynep Sonmez 7-5, 6-4 on Centre Court on Monday night.
Despite the long absence from the WTA Tour, Marino went blow-for-blow in the first set with the world No. 52, who has reached quarter-finals in Merida, Rosmalen, and Eastbourne this season.
Sonmez claimed her first career win at the NBO and will now advance to take on 29th-seeded Maria Sakkari in the second round.
Apart from a pair of opposing breaks, Marino and Sonmez were even throughout the set, with Marino gaining a 5-4 lead thanks to six early aces. The Vancouverite’s aggressiveness on serve cost her late, as a double fault allowed Sonmez her second break of the match and a chance to serve out the set up 6-5, which she would convert to take the first.
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The 35-year-old Canadian put herself into trouble midway through the second set, as she faced four break points while tied 2-2. She dug her way out of the first three but could not overcome the fourth, as Sonmez broke her for the third time in the match. Marino had a chance to turn the tide with a break point down 4-3, but could not finish off the game and allowed Sonmez a crucial hold to put herself one game away from clinching the match. Marino could not find the break she needed as Sonmez finished things off on match point No. 2 to advance.
This was Marino’s first WTA Tour match since September, after playing in multiple World Tennis Tour events in the build-up to Toronto, where she reached the quarters at the W50 in Columbus and the W75 in Granby.
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Feature Photo: Mark Blinch/Wick Photography for National Bank Open
