There are two Canadians left at the 2021 National Bank Open, and they are both in the women’s draw in Montreal. On Tuesday, the second seed, and defending National Bank Open champion Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ontario, defeated Harriet Dart of Great Britain, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, and then on Wednesday, Rebecca Marino beat Paula Badosa of Spain, 1-6, 7-5, 6-4.
The victory by Marino over Badosa was significant when you consider the fact that Marino is currently ranked 220th in the world, and Badosa is 31st. Marino also beat 2017 United States Open finalist Madison Keys of the United States in the first round, who is currently ranked 26th.
Next up for Marino, will be the National Bank Open’s number one seed, Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. Sabalenka is seeded first despite never having won a major in her career. Her best grand slam result was a semifinal at Wimbledon this year. This will be their first career meeting head to head.
Andreescu meanwhile will face Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur. Andreescu is seeded second in Montreal, while Jabeur is 13th. Jabeur made headlines earlier in 2021 when she became the first Arab woman to make the quarterfinals of a grand slam tennis tournament. Jabeur accomplished that feat at Wimbledon. Like Marino and Sabalenka, Andreescu has never faced Jabeur.
