First-round action sees fifth-seed upset

Bouchard, Stephens defeat Dabrowski, Xu

MONTREAL• Eugenie Bouchard and partner Sloane Stephens upset the fifth-seeded duo of Gabriela Dabrowski and Yifan Xu 6-4,4-6, 1-0 (6) in first-round doubles action at the Rogers Cup on Monday.

Bouchard of nearby Westmount, Que., has only played in six doubles matches this season, including three with the American Stephens.

“The reason I played doubles was to get more games under my belt,” Bouchard said. “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.”

“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.”

Dabrowski of Ottawa is the No. 9-ranked doubles player in the world. She is coming off a semifinals appearance at Wimbledon last month.

Earlier Monday, American Venus Williams advanced to the second round after a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Caroline Dolehide on Monday.

Julia Goerges of Germany avoided an early loss at the Rogers Cup with a 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4 win over Timea Babos of Hungary. Goerges will face Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic after she downed Daria Gavrilova of Russia 4-6, 6-4, 7-5. Karolina Pliskova also advanced to the second round with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over fellow Czech Katerina Siniakova.