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Carla Suarez Navarro knocks out Venus Williams at Rogers Cup

Aug 6, 2019 | 11:32 AM

TORONTO — Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams has made an early exit at the Rogers Cup.

The 39-year-old American lost 6-4, 6-2 to Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro in the first match on centre court at the Aviva Centre on Tuesday.

Suarez Navarro, ranked 26th in the world, snapped a five-match losing streak against the 56th-ranked Williams.

Williams has now lost four matches in a row overall, including a first-rounder at Wimbledon against 15-year-old American Cori Gauff.

Suarez Navarro will face No. 16 seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia in the second round. Kontaveit beat former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova of Russia in a three-setter on Monday.

Current world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty of Australia opened her Rogers Cup with a second-round match against American Sofia Kenin later Tuesday.

Top Canadian Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., was scheduled to face Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que., in a first-round match on Tuesday night.

The Canadian Press