Jean-Guy Fugère
At the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, it seems like nothing and no one can wake Rebecca Marino—not even dropping the first set in her match against Paula Badosa of Spain. The dream is just too great to end abruptly.
On Wednesday afternoon at IGA Stadium, the Canadian found her way and moved into the third round with a three-set victory (1-6, 7-5, 6-4) in a burst of adrenaline that thrilled the crowd.
Capitalizing on her opponent’s 10 double faults and hitting only three herself, Marino racked up six breaks and was able to consolidate when it counted. Even though she earned 44 points versus 52 for Badosa, she was tough enough to close things out after 134 minutes of play.
In the third round, she faces a formidable opponent in first seed and World No.3 Aryna Sabalenka, who clawed her way back from 6-7 (4), 6-4, 4-2 in her match against Sloane Stephens. The constant reversals of fortunes and 18 aces kept fans on the edge of their seats until the very last point, which was served after nearly two and a half hours.
Maria Sakkari (11) of Greece also made it through by outplaying Veronika Kudermetova of Russia (6-4, 5-7, 6-4). Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain defeated Liudmila Samsonova (6-4, 6-3) and Amanda Anisimova of the US ousted Océane Dodin of France (6-3, 6-3).
