Serena Rallies To Beat Pennetta In Toronto; Bouchard Bounced By Bencic

Serena Williams did it again. Like we saw at the French Open, Serena lost the first set to Flavia Pennetta, got down a break in the second before roaring back to win 11 of the last 12 games to take the match 2-6, 6-3, 6-0.

“I just told myself to drop it, like drop the racquet low and get ready to do everything I could to get into the game and to try to do different things, and that’s what I started doing out there. I was thinking,’The last time I was here I won. I should at least try to get through this and give 200%, and I started playing better. I was still making errors, but I just started playing better and making less errors.

“But she played really well today – she was hitting deep and doing a lot of things so well.”

Serena also won here 750th career match. And this season she’s now 41-1 on the season. The 3-time Canadian champion will have a day off today before returning tomorrow.

The other big result of the day was the continued decline of Eugenie Bouchard. The Canadian marketing superstar lost her 11th match in her last 13 falling to Belinda Bencic 6-0, 5-7, 6-2. Bencic failed to serve it out in the second at 5-3, missing a matchpoint, but the 18-year-old Swiss eventually took it in 3.

“I feel like I started out a little bit rusty in a sense,” said Bouchard. “I haven’t had a lot of match play recently, but I was able to raise my game, and I think it was pretty competitive out there after that first set. So I’m pleased with my performance.”

Bouchard recently dropped her coach Sam Sumyk who she hired at the start of the year.

Former No. 1s Jelena Jankovic and Victoria Azarenka were also winners along with Stanford champion Angelique Kerber. Washington winner Sloane Stephens lost to Dominika Cibulkova.

Today, Azarenka faces Petra Kvitova. Simona Halep debuts against Jankovic and Bencic battles Caroline Wozniacki. Suprise Wimbledon finalist Garbine Muguruza is also on court.

“It’s exciting because we haven’t played in forever and I feel like it’s gonna be a whole new experience,” Azarenka said about her first meeting with Kvitova in four years. ‘When people ask what I remember, it’s honestly nothing, really. It’s going to be fun for us and for the crowd as well.”