Canada’s Carol Zhao lost in straight sets 6-1, 6-3 to Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova in the second round of the ‘s-Hertogenbosch Tennis Tournament in the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Facing the 14e world player and tournament favorite, Zhao, herself ranked 163e in the WTA, got off to a rocky start, losing the first four games of the clash.
She suffered a third break in the seventh game, allowing Kudermetova to close the first set in less than 30 minutes.
The 27-year-old Canadian, who was born in China, was tougher in the second run. After she lost the first two games, Zhao responded by breaking in the third game to bring the match back to even service.
Kudermetova regained the upper hand with a break in the sixth game. She kept the advantage until the end, saving a break point in the seventh game.
Zhao finished the match with no aces and six double faults, and won only 57% of the points after placing her first ball in play, compared to Kudermetova’s 83% success rate. The latter scored six aces and committed three double faults.
Zhao was admitted to the main draw after going through qualifying. She then won her first-round match in straight sets against Belgium’s Ysaline Bonaventure on Monday.
Tomorrow, sixth-seeded Bianca Andreescu of Ontario is scheduled to play her second-round match against Slovakia’s Viktoria Hruncakova, 144e in the world.
On the men’s side, Milos Raonic will be looking for a second win in as many outings as he takes on Australia’s Jordan Thompson, 103e in the world.
On Monday, Raonic played his first match in almost two years on the ATP Tour and he welcomed the return by defeating Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic, 39e in the world, 6-3, 6-4.
His last victory dates back to March 29, 2021, against Frenchman Ugo Humbert at the Miami Open.