Rogers Cup: Rybarikova survives scare, Wozniak bounced
Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova, the top seed in Rogers Cup women’s qualifying, moved on to the second round of qualifiers on Saturday with a victory against Japan’s Kurumi Nara.
Rybarikova, ranked 33rd in the world, needed three sets to get past her unseeded opponent, 6-2, 7-5, 7-6.
The early qualifying matches at Aviva Centre were suspended because of rain but resumed a few hours later.
Second-seed Irina-Camelia Begu also advanced, downing Japanese opponent Miyu Kato 6-3, 6-4.
No Canadian player made it past the first qualifier in the day’s early matches. Aleksandra Wozniak lost to seventh-seed Sorana Cirstea, Japan’s Risa Ozaki beat Charlotte RobillardMillette and American Varvara Lepchenko downed Gabriela Dabrowki.
Canada’s Carol Zhao, Carson Branstine, Layne Sleeth, Isabelle Boulais and Katherine Sebov played their qualifiers later Saturday.
Rybarikova will play Lepchenko in the second qualifier on Sunday. Begu will play unseeded Australian Lizette Cabrera, who upset American 19th seed Jennifer Brady.
In qualifying for the men’s Rogers Cup in Montreal, Canadian Frank Dancevic moved one step closer to a berth in the main draw, defeating Marius Copil at Uniprix Stadium.
Dancevic, of Niagara Falls, Ont., will face American Tim Smyczek — who beat Canadian Pavel Krainik 6-0, 6-4 in his first qualifier — in the second round of qualifying on Sunday. The main draw begins Monday.
Dancevic needed one hour 16 minutes to beat his Romanian opponent 7-6 (3), 6-3 on centre court.
The 33-year-old Dancevic, ranked 357th in the world, won 84 per cent of his first-serve points and was never broken by Copil, the sixth seed in the qualifying tournament.
Among the other Canadians, Raheel Manji fell to Slovakia’s Norbert Gombos, Philip Bester lost to Ireland’s James McGee and Kelsey Stevenson was beat by American Reilly Opelka.
Canada’s Antoine Leduc, Samuel Monette, Benjamin Sigouin and Filip Peliwo played their qualifiers later Saturday.