Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Quebec has earned a chance to topple world number one Serena Williams by beating Puerto Rican Monica Puig, 6-3, 6-4 in the Cincinnati Masters tournament Monday.
Bouchard, ranked 62, beat Puig – ranked 51 in the world – after winning two qualifying matches to reach the main draw.
Williams, who cruised to victory at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, will be playing her first match in the tournament, as she received a free pass to the second round in Cincinnati.
The fast-rising Bouchard, 19, suffered a minor setback with a second round loss to Petra Kvitova at the Rogers Cup in Toronto last week.
In other results, Samantha Stosur reached the second round of the Cincinnati Masters featuring Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 7-5, Monday.
Venus Williams - two-time champion of the U.S. Open - squandered her first three games before coming from behind to defeat a qualifier Jana Cepelova 6-4, 6 - 1. Williams, who has battled with her health in recent years, lost in the first round at the Rogers Cup in Toronto last week.
American Sloane Stephens overcame qualified Petra Martic 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 while ninth-seeded Angelique Kerber beat Karin Knapp 6-7 (6), 6-0, 6-1.
The Canadian Milos Raonic will play the American Jack Sock on the grandstand court at around 7 p.m. Tuesday.
