Jil Teichmann (WTA 21) did not have to force his talent in the 1st round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto. The left-handed Zealander won 6-2 6-3 ahead of the “returner” Venus Williams (1556).
Beaten in qualifying in San Jose last week, Jil Teichmann needed 1h16′ to defeat the 42-year-old American, who is playing her second tournament since her return after a break of almost a year. After an easy 1st set, she had to tighten her guard in a 2nd set where she conceded 2 breaks.
Far too irregular in the exchange, Venus Williams was nevertheless easy prey for the Swiss No. 2. Yet lacking in confidence with only one victory obtained in her 5 previous matches, the Swiss seized the opposing service 6 times to win the right to challenge Anett Kontaveit (2) in the 2nd round.
Never so well ranked in the hierarchy, Teichmann plays big in this North American tour. The 8th runner-up at Roland-Garros will have to defend almost a quarter of her points (585 out of 1997) next week in Cincinnati, where she reached the final last year.
ats/fg
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