Oakville, Mississauga juniors open Granby tennis championships with win
Published August 23, 2022 at 12:26 pm
Oakville’s Cadence Brace knows how to make a debut.
The 17-year-old, who is making her Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) main draw debut at the 2022 National Bank Championships in Granby, Que. this week, is into the Round of 16 after pulling off the first upset of the event.
Brace upended seventh-seeded Kaja Juvan of Slovenia in straight sets, taking the first-round match 7-5, 6-3.
Brace got off to a slow start against Juvan, dropping an early break before clawing back to even the first set at 3-3. The Oakville teen continued to battle and would break Juvan in the 12th game to take the opening set.
Brace found herself behind once again in the second set when she was broken in the first game, but then reeled off five-straight games, including two breaks, to grab a commanding 5-2 lead.
Juvan pushed the Oakville teen hard, but Brace would collect her first WTA victory on her fifth match point.
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Brace was one of four Canadians making their WTA debuts.
Mississauga’s Marina Stakusic fought back to defeat Australian Jaimee Fourlis 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in a two-hour, 38-minute long battle.
Burlington’s Victoria Mboko lost her first tour-level match, dropping a 6-3, 6-3 straight-set decision to fellow Canadian Rebecca Marino.
The 15-year-old, who is considered one of Canada’s most promising juniors, got off to a strong start in the opening set when she broke Marino to grab an early 2-0 lead.
Marino would use her big serve and groundstokes en route to breaking Mboko to even the set at 2-2 and then never looked back.
Also making her debut was Kayla Cross. The 17-year-old from London lost to fourth-seeded Anna Bondar of Hungary 6-3, 6-4.
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