Tennis Canada​ 

-Doubles trophy claimed by Alexa Guarachi Mathison and Erin Routliffe on Saturday
-Final begins 12 pm on Sunday at York University’s Aviva Centre; Admission is free

Toronto, November 4, 2017 – The championship match has been set for the $60,000 Tevlin Challenger after an exciting day of semifinal action concluded at Toronto’s Aviva Centre on Saturday. No. 2 seed and former world No. 7 Patty Schnyder is primed to take on No. 8 seed Ysaline Bonaventure of Belgium.

Schnyder defeated American Francesca Di Lorenzo 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 early Saturday afternoon to book her spot in the final round. While a spirited Di Lorenzo was able to take the second set, Schnyder powered through to claim the win.

“I just tried to play each point. I went a bit more for the shots, I tried to stick to the line a bit more in the third,” said Schnyder on her game plan in the deciding set. “Obviously it worked out, but today I didn’t feel so great so it could have gone either way. I was getting a bit dizzy and weak out there.”

Schnyder will look to regroup ahead of Sunday’s match, as she meets her upcoming opponent in their second career meeting. This past September, she recorded a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Bonaventure in the first round of US Open qualification action.

Earlier on Saturday, Bonaventure secured her spot in the final with a 6-2, 6-4 victory against France’s Jessika Ponchet. The 23-year-old Belgian solved her opponent in less than an hour, needing just 55 minutes to advance.

“I’m happy to be in the final, it means a lot to me. I know she has a lot of experience but I have nothing to lose. I played her in the first round of qualies at the US Open, and I didn’t play my best against her then. I think I have a good chance tomorrow and I’ll come out here and fight.”

Bonaventure, who is in back in action after missing eight months in 2016 with a wrist injury, has looked impressive in her campaign for the Tevlin crown and her second ITF Pro Circuit title of the season. On Friday, she eliminated Canadian rising star and No. 3 seed Bianca Andreescu in a hard-fought quarter-final match.

Bonaventure was also kept busy in doubles on Saturday, she and partner Victoria Rodriguez of Mexico faced off against Alexa Guarachi Mathison of Chile and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe in the final.

It was Guarachi Mathison and Routliffe who emerged victorious however, defeating their opponents 7-6(4), 3-6, 10-4.

“We just stayed out there. We knew they were going to be a tough team and that we had to be ready for anything,” said Guarachi Mathison. “We wanted to come out in the tie-breaker full of energy and competing hard for each point.”

“I’m feeling kind of tired actually,” Bonaventure said, following her second match of the day. “They are good doubles players. It was a tough match, we missed a few chances in the first set. We were leading and then it got tight. They managed to be stronger in the tiebreaker.”

Bonaventure will look to rebound on Sunday, as she goes for the singles title versus Schnyder at 12:00 pm ET. Admission is free for those wishing to attend. The final can also be viewed online on Tennis Canada’s YouTube channel.

The $60,000 Tevlin Challenger, part of the ITF Pro Circuit, runs through November 5 at Aviva Centre in Toronto. Former champions include Canadians Eugenie Bouchard, Aleksandra Wozniak, and Gabriela Dabrowski, as well as 2013 Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki of Germany. For full draws, complete scores, and order of play, please click here.

About Tennis Canada
Founded in 1890, Tennis Canada is a non-profit, national sport association with a mission to lead the growth of tennis in Canada and a vision to become a world-leading tennis nation. We value teamwork, passion, integrity, innovation and excellence. Tennis Canada owns and operates the premier Rogers Cup presented by National Bank WTA and ATP World Tour events, 8 professional ITF- sanctioned events and financially supports 15 other professional tournaments in Canada. Tennis Canada operates national junior training centres/programs in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Tennis Canada is a proud member of the International Tennis Federation, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the International Wheelchair Tennis Association, and serves to administer, sponsor and select the teams for Davis Cup, Fed Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and all wheelchair, junior and senior national teams. Tennis Canada invests its surplus into tennis development. For more information on Tennis Canada, please visit our website at www.tenniscanada.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Media Contacts

Toronto:
Nicole Watts
Manager, Communications and Media Relations
nwatts@tenniscanada.com or 416-665-9777 ext. 4092
Caroline Anderson
Coordinator, Communications and Media Relations
canderson@tenniscanada.com or 416-665-9777 ext. 4545