Canada’s Philip Bester closer to Rogers Cup main draw berth after qualifying win

TORONTO — Philip Bester was the lone Canadian to advance past the first round of qualifying on Saturday at the Rogers Cup.

The Vancouver native defeated alternate and fellow Canadian Kelsey Stevenson 6-2, 6-2 at Aviva Centre. The world No. 285 was able to avoid Yuichi Sugita, the top seed in qualifying, after Sugita was slotted into the main draw following a withdrawal.

The 27-year-old Bester will play Colombia’s Alejandro Gonzalez, who is ranked No. 170 in the world, on Sunday. A win would give Bester his fifth main draw at the Rogers Cup.

Montreal’s Felix Auger Aliassime fell 7-5, 7-6 (3) to Australia’s James Duckworth. The 15-year-old Aliassime was searching for his first berth into an ATP World Tour event.

The main draw gets underway on Monday with 17-year-old Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., playing Australian Nick Kyrgios on centre court. Shapovalov is making his Rogers Cup debut after winning the Wimbledon boys’ title earlier this month.

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