Watson and Federer stun in Montreal

The British superstar beat the 12th-ranked Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (5) in the second round. The game was a hugely exciting rally between the two ladies, with Watson dominating the first set and going 4-0 up in the second, before letting Cibulkova have a chance to redeem herself.

But victory was in the hands of the 22-year-old and she celebrated by shocking spectators the world over and doing herself proud following a stressful few months. Watson had previously been a contender on the world scale but battled glandular fever, which knocked her out of the world top 50. Now, after her stunning success against the Slovakian, she will soon see herself achieving the world class standard once again.
The Channel Islander will now face Belarusian Victoria Azarenka in the race to the quarter finals.

Meanwhile, Caroline Wozniacki celebrated once again following her recent success at the Istanbul Cup last month. The Danish powerhouse beat Klara Kouklava 6-1, 6-2 and will now face qualifier Shelby Rogers in the third round.

On the men’s side, Roger Federer proved that playing in your home country doesn’t always guarantee success as he took down Canadian opponent Peter Polansky. The Swedish star beat Polansky 6-2, 6-0 in just 52 minutes, despite discouraging “Go Canada go” signs dispersed around the crowd.

Roger Federer – Licensed Image (CC BY)

Federer’s encouraging win has improved his odds at the US Men’s Open at the end of the month. The star has not won the title since 2008, but with a promising campaign ahead of him at the Rogers Cup, could still have it in him to repeat his Grand Slam success which saw him win so many titles between 2004 and 2010.

The Rogers Cup has not fared so well for its Canadian stars this year: joining the ranks of Peter Polansky with an early exit are Brayden Schnur, Vasek Pospisil and Frank Dancevic. Pospisil described himself as “a victim of his own success,” following his first ATP singles final and two doubles titles in Wimbledon.

Canada may not be churning out any champions in Montreal this year, but it’s certainly paving the way for the success of international superstars. With prestigious Grand Slam events still to come in the tennis calendar, it’s going to be an exciting summer.