Abanda loses tight three-setter to No. 7 seed

Two Canadians advanced in singles at the $50,000 Tevlin Challenger in Toronto on Tuesday. World No. 132 and No. 4 seed Valerie Tetreault (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec) defeated Japan’s Ryoko Fuda while Rebecca Marino (Vancouver) eliminated fellow Canadian Gabriela Dabrowski (Ottawa) in the first round.

 Tetreault started slow, spotting her opponent a 4-0 lead, but stormed back to take the first set by winning seven of the next eight games. She dropped the second set but saved two match points in the third to show her determination and move into the second round with a 7-5, 2-6, 7-5 victory.

“I am very happy I pulled it out today. Obviously, it was not my greatest match. She had too much control over the points and I was lucky to even win that first set,” said Tetreault. “But sometimes those matches happen and you need to find a way to win. The first round is always the hardest so now I hope I can step up my level for the next match.

Marino had a far easier time against her friend and doubles partner Dabrowski, winning in straight sets 6-4, 6-2. The duo paired up to defeat Julia Boserup and Heather Watson in the first round of doubles play but were drawn on opposite ends of the court in singles. Marino now moves on to play American Lindsay Lee-Waters in the second round.

In the first match of the day, full-time National Training Centre (NTC) participant Elisabeth Abanda (Montreal) narrowly missed an opportunity to capture her first ITF pro circuit singles win against No. 7 seed Madison Brengle. The 15-year-old Canadian wildcard fought back from a 2-6, 2-5 deficit to force a third set where she squandered two match points to fall 7-5. In doubles, Abanda and partner Elianne Douglas-Miron (Ottawa) advanced past the first round against fellow wildcards Amy He (Burlington, Ontario) and Dominique Harmath (Toronto) on Monday and will play their second round match versus No. 4 seeded Americans Lee-Waters and Ashley Weinhold on Wednesday.

Also on the schedule of play for Wednesday are singles matches featuring top-seed Stephanie Dubois (Laval, Quebec), No. 4 seed Sharon Fichman (Toronto) and veteran wildcard Marie-Eve Pelletier (Repentigny, Quebec).

Play begins at 10:00 a.m. at the Tennis Canada Centre of Excellence, the indoor facility located beside the world-class Rexall Centre in Toronto. Admission is free. Championship weekend at the Tevlin Challenger will be Web cast live via tenniscanada.com beginning with semifinal action on Saturday, November 21 at 11 a.m., followed by the singles final live on Sunday at 1 p.m.