Canadians Bouchard, Shapovalov advance at Wimbledon
LONDON — Eugenie Bouchard and Denis Shapovalov are off to the second round at Wimbledon.
The Canadians both won firstround matches on Tuesday and will join fellow Canuck Milos Raonic in the second round.
Bouchard beat British wild card Gabriella Taylor, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3, in a first-round women’s match, while Shapovalov, the No. 26 seed in the men’s draw, defeated Jeremy Chardy of France,
6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.
A finalist at Wimbledon in
2014, Bouchard was forced into the qualification draw this year after seeing her ranking tumble to No. 191 before the tournament.
The 24-year-old from Westmount, Que., is now ranked 188th after winning three qualifying matches last week. Taylor is No. 180.
“I feel a lot more comfortable on the court,” Bouchard told reporters after the match. “I feel a little bit more like myself.”
Shapovalov, meanwhile, beat one of the hottest players on the ATP Tour in the 46th-ranked Chardy. In his last three tournaments, Chardy won one title, reached a final and advanced to the semifinals.
The 19-year-old Shapovalov, of Richmond Hill, Ont., came into Wimbledon having lost three of his past four matches. It was his first win at Wimbledon.
Bouchard returned to Grand Slam main draw action at Wimbledon after failing to qualify for the French Open. The win was just her second in the past four years in the main draw at Wimbledon.
Bouchard, now working with longtime tennis coach Robert Lansdorp, will face No. 17 seed Ashleigh Barty in the second round. The Australian beat Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland, 7-5, 6-3, on Tuesday.
Shapovalov will face unseeded Benoit Paire of France in the second round.
Meanwhile, Vasek Pospisil of Vancouver lost, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, to Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan in a first-round men’s match Tuesday.
Raonic, the No. 13 seed, will play unseeded Australian John Millman in the second round on Wednesday.