Zhao wins, Bouchard falls in qualifying play at Wimbledon

LONDON — Canada's Carol Zhao beat Britain's Emily Appleton 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 in the first round of qualifying play at Wimbledon on Tuesday.

Zhao, ranked 166 in the world, will face Arantxa Rus in the next round. The Dutch player is seeded second in the qualifying draw and beat Daria Snigur to advance.

Rus, ranked No. 85 in the world, previously reached Wimbledon's third round in 2012.

Eugenie Bouchard, from Westmount, Que., lost 4-6, 5-7 to Belgian Greet Minnen in qualifying play.

Bouchard memorably made the Wimbledon finals in 2014, falling to Petra Kvitova.

Toronto's Katherine Sebov, the final Canadian in the women's qualifying draw, will face off against Brenda Fruhvirtova, from Czechia, on Wednesday. Montreal's Gabriel Diallo will meet Italy's Matteo Gigante in a men's qualifier.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2023.