Jul 23, 2016
Canada's Bester closer to Rogers Cup main draw
Philip Bester was the lone Canadian to advance past the first round of qualifying on Saturday at the Rogers Cup. The Vancouver native defeated alternate and fellow Canadian Kelsey Stevenson 6-2, 6-2 at Aviva Centre.
The Canadian Press
TORONTO — Philip Bester was the lone Canadian to advance past the first round of qualifying on Saturday at the Rogers Cup.
The Vancouver native defeated alternate and fellow Canadian Kelsey Stevenson 6-2, 6-2 at Aviva Centre. The world No. 285 was able to avoid Yuichi Sugita, the top seed in qualifying, after Sugita was slotted into the main draw following a withdrawal.
The 27-year-old Bester will play Colombia's Alejandro Gonzalez, who is ranked No. 170 in the world, on Sunday. A win would give Bester his fifth main draw at the Rogers Cup.
Montreal's Felix Auger Aliassime fell 7-5, 7-6 (3) to Australia's James Duckworth. The 15-year-old Aliassime was searching for his first berth into an ATP World Tour event.
The main draw gets underway on Monday with 17-year-old Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., playing Australian Nick Kyrgios on centre court. Shapovalov is making his Rogers Cup debut after winning the Wimbledon boys' title earlier this month.