Eugenie Bouchard bounced from U.S. Open on first day

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Eugenie Bouchard bounced from U.S. Open on first day

The Canadian Press Published Monday, August 26, 2019 1:16PM EDT

Eugenie Bouchard, of Canada, returns a shot to Anastasija Sevastova, of Latvia, during the first round of the US Open tennis tournament Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Kevin Hagen)

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NEW YORK -- Canada's Eugenie Bouchard is out of the U.S. Open after a first-round loss to 12th-seed Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia on Monday.

Sevastova converted five of her nine break point chances against Bouchard as she cruised to a 6-3, 6-3 win in a match that lasted one hour 14 minutes. The Latvian also had three aces and committed just 16 unforced errors, compared to 27 for Bouchard.

Bouchard converted both of her break point opportunities but struggled on service. She landed only 57 per cent of her first serves, and then scored on just 58 per cent of those that were good. Second serve was even more problematic for Bouchard, who won on just nine of 23 opportunities (39 per cent).

Bouchard, once ranked fifth on the WTA Tour, entered the U.S. Open ranked 119th and has a record of 6-15 this season. She hasn't won since a first-round victory over Vera Lapko at a Premier 5 tournament in Dubai in February and has dropped 12 straight matches since.

Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., was scheduled to play Chile's Nicolas Jarry in men's first-round action on Monday, but the hard-serving Canadian withdrew on Sunday with an injured glute muscle. Raonic was replaced by Kamil Majchrzak of Poland.

Fifteenth-seed Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., the last Canadian women left in the singles draw, will face American qualifier Karie Volynets on a busy Tuesday for Canadians. In men's action, 18th-seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal will start his U.S. Open against Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill,Ont., for a second straight year.

Also Tuesday, Brayden Schnur of Pickering, Ont., faces France's Benoit Paire, and Vancouver's Vasek Pospisil meets ninth seed Karen Khachanov of Russia.