British No 1 Katie Boulter took just 65 minutes to defeat Rebecca Marino in straight sets to get her campaign at the National Bank Open in Montreal off to a winning start; seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams was beaten by fellow American Madison Keys in her first-round match
Wednesday 9 August 2023 06:36, UK
Katie Boulter set up a showdown with world No 3 Coco Gauff after taking just over an hour to wrap up a straight-sets victory in her last-64 match at the National Bank Open in Montreal.
The British No 1 triumphed 6-3 6-1 in her opening match of the tournament against the host nation's Rebecca Marino.
After taking the first set, Boulter continued to assert her dominance in the second by storming into a 3-0 lead and was able to close it out to reach the last 32.
The 27-year-old, who claimed her first WTA singles title in June when she triumphed in the Rothesay Open in Nottingham, now takes on American Gauff.
The 19-year-old is the No 6 seed for the tournament in Canada and is fresh from winning the Mubadala Citi DC Open over the weekend.
Meanwhile, seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams lost to fellow American Madison Keys, falling 6-2 7-5 in the opening round.
Williams, 43, dropped to a record of two wins and four losses in six career matches against 28-year-old Keys.
Keys, ranked No 16 in the world, broke Williams twice in the first set. She recorded two more breaks in the second and held on for the win.
Keys, who also is playing with compatriot Jennifer Brady in the women's doubles tournament, now faces Italian Jasmine Paolini in the round of 32.
