SAGUENAY, October 25, 2018 (Press Release)
Three Canadians were in singles action on Wednesday at the Saguenay National Bank Challenger. Sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the tournament offers $60,000 USD in prize money and is being held from October 22 to 28 at the Saguenay Indoor Tennis Club.
After notching her first singles main draw win at a professional tournament on Tuesday against the tournament’s fifth seed, Jada Bui (Ajax, ON) was back in action on Wednesday morning. In her second round match, she faced Quirine Lemoine of the Netherlands, who reached a career high ranking of no. 137 last year. The Canadian got off to a slow start, falling behind early in the opening set. Both players struggled while on serve, with Bui having particular trouble with her second serve. After a little over an hour of play, she fell in her second round match by a score of 6-1, 6-1.
There was an all-Canadian feature evening match, as Bianca Andreescu (Mississauga, ON) faced off against Petra Januskova (Ottawa, ON). Andreescu, the tournament’s seventh seed was fresh off a win at a tournament in South Carolina, her first singles title of the year. The two players had never met prior to Wednesday’s match. Despite playing five matches last week, Andreescu showed no signs of fatigue. She dominated play from the start, capitalizing on Januskova’s errors. The young 18-year-old Andreescu booked her spot in the second round by a score of 6-1, 6-0.
In doubles, Sharon Fichman (Toronto, ON) is making her return to the pro circuit, having played four tournaments so far this year. She was partnering Maria Sanchez of the United States, recent doubles winner at the National Bank Cup presented by IGA in Quebec City. Despite dropping the first set, the duo stormed back to secure a semi-final berth, taking their match 1-6, 7-6(5), 10-6.
The tournament’s third seed Richel Hogenkamp of the Netherlands defeated her first round opponent Francesca Jones of Great Britain, securing a spot in the second round with a 6-2, 7-5 victory. Naomi Broady of Great Britain, the fourth seed, did not fare as well. She lost to qualifier Dasha Lopatetskaya of Ukraine by a score of 6-3, 6-2.
The Saguenay National Bank Challenger is the final Challenger tournament held in Quebec in 2018. The tournament was preceded by the National Bank Challenger tournaments in Drummondville, Gatineau and Granby earlier this year.
