Andreescu wins just 1 game in swift loss to Vondrousova at Italian Open
Fellow Canadians Auger-Aliassime, Dabrowski also make quick exits
Canadian tennis hopes took a tumble at the Italian Open on Friday as Felix Auger-Aliassime, Gabriela Dabrowski, and Bianca Andreescu were all eliminated, marking a disappointing day for the Maple Leaf contingent.
Montreal's Auger-Aliassime was ousted after dropping a second-round match 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to Australian qualifier Alexei Popyrin.
Auger-Aliassime had a bye in the first round of the clay-court event, while Popyrin defeated his compatriot Christopher O'Connell after coming through the qualifying rounds.
Popyrin, ranked 77th in the world, continued his momentum by upsetting No. 10 Auger-Aliassime in an exhausting three hour 17-minute battle.
WATCH | Auger-Aliassime loses to Popyrin:
Auger-Aliassime struggled with his serve, landing his first service only 61 per cent of the time. He also committed nine double faults and gave his opponent 16 break point opportunities, of which Popyrin converted three.
Ottawa's Gabriela Dabrowski and her Brazilian partner Luisa Stefani were upset in women's doubles play, falling 2-6, 6-2, 10-8. to American Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Czechia's Marie Bouzkova.
Dabrowski and Stefani were seeded sixth in the tournament.
The third Canadian to exit the tournament was Mississauga's Andreescu, who was dealt a swift defeat at the hands of Marketa Vondrousova. The Czech player scored a 6-0, 6-1 victory in a match that lasted just 55 minutes.
WATCH | Andreescu ousted by Vondrousova:
Djokovic, Sinner, Swiatek moving on
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic was tested by 61st-ranked Tomas Martin Etcheverry in a 7-6 (5), 6-2 opening win.
Aiming for a seventh title on the red clay of the Foro Italico as he prepares for the French Open, Djokovic twice had to recover from deficits during a tight first set.
Djokovic was returning after three weeks off due to a lingering issue with his surgically repaired right elbow.
In his previous two tournaments on red clay, Djokovic had consecutive early exits.
At Roland Garros, Djokovic will be attempting to add to his total of 22 Grand Slam titles and break a tie for the record with Rafael Nadal.
While it was up and down at the start, there were also moments of vintage Djokovic. Like when he produced a delicate forehand stop volley winner to conclude a long rally midway through the first set, after which he pumped his fist and motioned with his arms for the crowd to cheer louder.
Djokovic's third-round opponent will be Grigor Dimitrov, who beat Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 7-6 (3).
In the same half of the draw as Djokovic, local hope Jannik Sinner was nearly unbeatable on his serve as he defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-1, 6-4.
Italian veteran Fabio Fognini celebrated a 6-3, 7-6 (6) win over Miomir Kecmanovic by bringing his 5-year-old son, Federico, out onto the court with him on the statue-lined Pietrangeli stadium.
In women's action, top-ranked Iga Swiatek opened her bid for a third straight Rome title with a 6-0, 6-0 rout of former French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova for her 12th consecutive win in the Italian capital.
"I feel pretty confident here," Swiatek said. "I feel like these are the right circumstances and right conditions for me to play my solid game."
Paula Badosa defeated Ons Jabeur, last year's runner-up, 6-1, 6-4; and ninth-seeded Maria Sakkari beat Barbora Strycova 6-1, 6-3.
Karolina Muchova eliminated the top Italian woman, 18th-seeded Martina Trevisan, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.
With files from The Associated Press
