By Adrianna Outlaw | Monday, July 25, 2016

 

Samantha Stosur stopped Heather Watson, 7-5, 6-3, to advance to the Montreal second round.

Photo credit: Christopher Levy

Samantha Stosur made a sound Rogers Cup return.

Stosur broke serve five times hammering out a 7-5, 6-3 win over Heather Watson in her Montreal opener.

Watch: Serena On Olympics

Fresh off a quarterfinal appearance in Washington, D.C., the 13th-seeded Australian raised her record to 27-15 on the season.

"I feel like when I was able to go back behind her to her backhand, that worked well," Stosur said. "Overall I thought I served pretty well, so there wasn't, like, a lot of points on serve where she could really dictate off the first shot. If I could get a good strike, I was in good shape to win those points. I think I was able to attack her second serve pretty well

"She was serving her first serve very well I thought tonight, so any opportunities I got on second serves, I tried to take advantage of that."

Stosur, the 2011 tournament runner-up to Serena Williams, will play either Daria Kasatkina or Misaki Doi in the second round.

Stosur's Olympic doubles partner, Daria Gavrilova also advanced, scoring a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Annika Beck.

Qualifier Camila Giorgi overcame 15 double faults edging Sloane Stephens, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4). Giorgi will play 2015 US Open finalist Roberta Vinci in an all-Italian second-round match.

Barbora Strycova rallied for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over wild card Caroline Garcia. Strycova will face sixth-seeded Venus Williams, who lost to Johanna Konta in the Stanford final, next.

American Madison Brengle surprised Ekaterina Makarova, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4.

No. 17-seeded Elina Svitolina dismissed Jennifer Brady, 6-2, 6-4.