QUEBEC, Canada - Top seed Lucie Safarova needed just 46 minutes to begin her campaign at the Coupe Banque Nationale on Tuesday, defeating American Anna Tatishvili, 6-0, 6-1.
Fresh off a second week showing at the US Open, Safarova lost just four points on serve and broke six times to defeat Tatishvili in Quebec for the second time, after winning the first career meeting between the two in 2013.
Lucie Safarova is happy to be back in Quebec City: https://t.co/xteANFxczM #CoupeBN pic.twitter.com/2PyaGcIhF7
— CoupeBanqueNationale (@CoupeBN) September 12, 2017
Safarova's win headlined an otherwise mixed day for her compatriots in Quebec, as Lucie Hradecka was the lone other Czech to win her singles match. The Czech Republic was guaranteed a winner in the first round clash between Hradecka and qualifier Andrea Hlavackova, and it was Hradecka who defeated her former doubles partner in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3.
American teenager Sofia Kenin, who recently announced her decision to turn professional after reaching the third round of the US Open and losing to Maria Sharapova, came from a set down to defeat Tereza Martincova, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, while No.8 seed Viktorija Golubic also rallied to beat Barbora Krejcikova, 1-6, 7-5, 6-4.
Other seeded players to advance included No.4 seed Tatjana Maria, who came from a break down in the second set to see off Hungary's Fanny Stollar, 6-2, 7-6(4), while No.7 seed Alison Van Uytvanck also came from a set down to defeat Canada's Carol Zhao, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(1).
The home crowd did have something to cheer about, however, as wunderkind Bianca Andreescu defeated No.6 seed Jennifer Brady, 6-3, 6-2.
Canadian @Bandreescu_ makes quick work of Brady: https://t.co/4t1zYm45Zi #CoupeBN pic.twitter.com/xt0nzcThKM
— CoupeBanqueNationale (@CoupeBN) September 12, 2017
Against Brady, who just reached the fourth round of the US Open, Andreescu never faced a break point in the 61-minute victory over the World No.65, ranked exactly 100 places above her.
In the late match, Canada saw another hometown favorite move into the second round, as Francoise Abanda defeated American Asia Muhammad, 6-4, 7-5.