Hometown hero Eugenie Bouchard has battled her way to a three-set victory in the first round of the Canadian Open, a win that has delayed the former world No.5's retirement.
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See subscription optionsBouchard, who reached the Wimbledon final and two other grand slam semi-finals in 2014, beat Emiliana Arango 6-4 2-6 6-2 in Montreal on Monday (Tuesday AEST).
The Canadian veteran announced this month she would walk away from the sport after the tournament, but added a condition to that plan in the wake of her thrilling victory in front of a packed crowd.
"If I win this tournament, I will not retire," she said in an on-court interview.
Playing in only her second singles match of the year, Bouchard blasted a forehand winner to take the first set, but Colombian Arango turned the tables in the second set amid a cascade of unforced errors from her opponent.
However, Bouchard broke for a 3-1 lead in the decider and hammered a swinging volley to extend the advantage to 4-1.
The 31-year-old wildcard put her hands on her head and then her heart after securing the victory to set up a second round meeting with 17th seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland.
Briton Emma Raducanu beat her good friend Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania 6-2 6-4 and will next meet 32nd seed Peyton Stearns.
"It's very difficult to play someone who you are close to," said Raducanu, who made the semi-finals at last week's Washington Open.
"I'm really glad about how I was able to put that to one side for the match and back up a good week in D.C."
Four-time grand slam winner Naomi Osaka of Japan beat Canadian qualifier Ariana Arseneault 6-4 6-2 in breezy conditions to set up a second-round meeting with 13th-seeded Russian Liudmila Samsonova.
Australian Associated Press
