Rebecca Marino from Canada plays a shot to Katie Boulter from United Kingdom during their first round match at the National Bank Open tennis tournament in Montreal, Monday, August 7, 2023. Rebecca Marino has advanced past fellow Canadian Katherine Sebov in qualifying to make the first round of the Australian Open. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
MELBOURNE, Australia – Rebecca Marino has advanced past fellow Canadian Katherine Sebov in qualifying to make the first round of the Australian Open.
Marino has played in the Australian Open main draw six times – including the last three years – but has never advanced past the round of 64.
Marino, from Vancouver, beat Toronto’s Sebov in two games before Sebov retired in the third with a physiotherapist examining her wrist.
Sebov’s only main draw appearance at a Grand Slam was at last year’s Australian Open. She lost in straight sets to then-world No. 4 Caroline Garcia of France in the opening round.
Gabriel Diallo of Montreal fell 6-3, 3-6, 2-6 to Belgium’s David Goffin on the men’s side of the qualifiers.
Diallo had beaten France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8) to advance to the final round of the men’s qualifying bracket.
Main draw play begins Sunday (Saturday evening in Canada) at Melbourne Park. Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal will open against Dominic Thiem of Austria while Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., has drawn a qualifier for her first-round match.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 11, 2024.
