Canada’s Marina Stakusic won her first qualifier at the National Bank Championships in Granby by beating Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri 6-3, 6-2 in straight sets on Saturday.
Stakusic, the 636th player in the WTA rankings, pulled off a bit of a tour de force by easily overcoming the 370th racquet in the world and eighth in qualifying.
The 17-year-old, 12 years her opponent’s junior, was broken just once when she converted four of her seven service-stealing chances. She was particularly crucial on Eikeri’s second ball, winning 65% of exchanges.
In the second qualifying round, Stakusic meets the winner of the duel between Quebec’s Bianca Fernandez and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe.