Bouchard and Pospisil advance at the Australian Open

Montreal, January 15, 2014 – Canadians continue to enjoy success in Melbourne with both Eugenie Bouchard (Westmount, QC) and Vasek Pospisil (Vancouver, BC) advancing to the third round at the first Grand Slam event of the season.

Bouchard defeated Virginie Razzano of France 6-2, 7-6(10). The tournament’s no. 30 seed was especially dominant in the opening set before her opponent took a 4-1 lead in the second frame. Bouchard was able to erase the deficit to close the match in straight sets on her seventh match point chance in a tightly contested tiebreak. The 19-year-old Canadian advances to the third round of a Grand Slam for the second time in her career, repeating her performance from Wimbledon in 2013 where she lost to Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro in round three. Bouchard is the first Canadian since Sonya Jeyaseelan in 2000 to reach the Round of 32 at the Australian Open. She will next face American Lauren Davis, ranked no. 68 in the world.

For the second straight match, Pospisil went up against a local player. On Wednesday, he took on Aussie Matthew Ebden during the night session on Rod Laver Arena. The Canadian struggled with a back injury throughout, but treatment and pain killers helped him finish the match. Ebden was unable to deliver in the important moments which allowed Pospisil to secure a courageous four set win 3-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(9), 6-1 in just under three hours. The 23-year-old moves on to the third round of a Major for the first time in his career and for the occasion, will meet eighth-seeded Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland.