Williams survives early scare
American rallies to win first set while Bouchard moves on in doubles
MONTREAL— American Venus Williams advanced to the second round of the Rogers Cup after a 7-5, 6-1victory over Caroline Dolehide on Monday, before heavy rain delayed play on and off for nearly three hours, putting a damper on the first day of the main draw.
Rainfall moved into the Montreal area of just before 7 p.m., interrupting two matches, including one in the first set between Russia’s Maria Sharapova and Bulgaria’s Sesil Karatantcheva.
Sharapova and Karatantcheva returned to the court three times to resume their match only for the rain to return and force them back to the players’ lounge.
The 14th-ranked Williams made quick work of her countrymate in the second set after coming from behind to win a back-and-forth first set.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion will now face Sorana Cirstea (No. 54) or Monica Niculescu (No. 69) in the second round.
It looked like an upset was in the cards in the early going of the all-American matchup.
The 19-year-old Dolehide (No. 124), who was making her Rogers Cup debut, jumped to a 3-1 lead in the first set after breaking Williams’ serve.
Dolehide, one of just two teenagers in the main draw, used her heavy service game and aggressive play to challenge Williams on every point.
Dolehide finished the match with three aces. Williams had none.
But the 38-year-old veteran broke Dolehide back to take a 4-3 lead, and she did it again in the deciding game of the first set.
Dolehide, one of 12 qualifiers in the main draw, just couldn’t maintain the same pace in the second set, as Williams only lost 11 points on her way to victory.
Earlier Monday, Eugenie Bouchard and her partner, Sloane Stephens, upset the fifth-seeded duo of Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski and China’s Yifan Xu 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (6) in first- round doubles action.
“The reason I played doubles was to get more games under my belt,” said Bouchard. “It’s better than just a normal practice. I really worked on my service game, my volleys, my return. It can help with my singles game.
“Every victory can give you confidence.”
Bouchard of nearby Westmount, Que., has only played in six doubles matches this season, including three with the American Stephens.
“We started playing doubles together in Washington last year,” said Bouchard of her partnership with Stephens. “We have a lot of fun on the court. We laugh a lot.
“We’re trying our best, obviously, but we’re also really relaxed. It’s good for both of our games.”
Meanwhile, Dabrowski, who is from Ottawa, is the ninthranked doubles player in the world. She is coming off a semifinals appearance at Wimbledon last month.