Montreal day Recap: Gauff survives, Andreeva falls, Mboko shines at home
Coco Gauff flirted with defeat once again, Mirra Andreeva exited the tournament without winning a match, and several surprise results shook up the top half of the draw.
Kostyuk Montreal 2025 – © Zuma / Psnewz
Coco Gauff once again escaped after a tight battle against Veronika Kudermetova, despite a flurry of double faults. Mirra Andreeva, meanwhile, exited the tournament in her opening match, beaten by the surprising McCartney Kessler. The sensation of the day came from Victoria Mboko, who continues her dream run in front of her home crowd. Dayana Yastremska, Zhu Lin, and Marta Kostyuk also impressed in a completely shaken-up top half of the draw.
Gauff still searching for form
Coco Gauff isn’t playing her best tennis, but she’s still standing. Against Veronika Kudermetova, the American had to dig deep to turn around a tricky situation (4-6, 7-5, 6-2). But beyond the scoreline, her level of play remains concerning: erratic from the baseline, and especially shaky on serve.
After hitting 23 double faults in her previous match – a personal record – Gauff added 14 more against Kudermetova. Still, her resilience, physical power, and fierce competitiveness continue to carry her through the key moments.
With the US Open on the horizon, she’ll need to find answers quickly. Nearly two months have passed since her title at Roland-Garros, and she has yet to rediscover that level.
Andreeva disappoints, Kessler takes her chance
Granted direct entry into the third round thanks to a protected ranking and Andreescu’s withdrawal, Mirra Andreeva failed to capitalise. The Russian teenager lost her opening match to Ashlyn Krueger Kessler (7-6, 6-4) in a wild and error-strewn contest.
The match featured 14 breaks of serve. Andreeva served twice for the first set – at 5-4 and 6-5 – but couldn’t close it out. She also appeared to twist her ankle midway through the match and never regained her rhythm. A frustrating early exit that halts her summer momentum.
Yastremska stuns Navarro
A strong performance from Dayana Yastremska saw her take down Emma Navarro in two tight sets (7-5, 6-4). After a balanced opening set, the Ukrainian capitalised on Navarro’s collapse in the second, winning five straight games from 1-4 down.
True to her aggressive style, Yastremska picks up another notable win during this North American swing, where she’s been hot and cold over the past few weeks.
Beating Navarro is a solid result, even if the American wasn’t at her sharpest. Things will only get tougher from here: next up is likely Elena Rybakina, one of the most consistent players on tour of late.
Mboko lights up Montreal
She’s the hometown hero of the tournament. Marina Stakusic Mboko, just 18 years old, continues her fairytale run in front of her home crowd. After stunning Sofia Kenin, she backed it up with another comeback win over Marie Bouzkova (1-6, 6-3, 6-0), showing incredible energy and composure.
Outplayed in the opening set, the Canadian teenager flipped the script and finished with a commanding bagel. She’ll now face Coco Gauff in what promises to be a blockbuster round of 16 clash.
Zhu Lin on the rise again
Out for months with injury, Zhu Lin is slowly finding her form. Now ranked 493 in the world, the former Grand Slam seed used a protected ranking to enter the draw – and is making the most of it.
After defeating Ekaterina Alexandrova, the Chinese player cruised past Suzan Lamens (6-2, 6-2) with renewed confidence and precision. She’s already guaranteed to climb 189 spots in the WTA rankings, and looks ready to go further.
Kostyuk wakes up
Before arriving in Montreal, Marta Kostyuk had lost six consecutive matches on tour. Seeded No.24 and given a first-round bye, the Ukrainian has finally turned things around with two gritty comeback wins: first over Marketa Vondrousova (2-6, 6-3, 6-2), then against Daria Kasatkina (3-6, 6-3, 7-6[4]).
A timely resurgence. If her form holds, she could set up an all-Ukrainian quarter-final against Dayana Yastremska – provided Kessler and Rybakina don’t have other plans.
