Lisicki ousts Venus Williams in 1st round at Rogers Cup

TORONTO — After waiting out a lengthy rain delay, Germany's Sabine Lisicki defeated Venus Williams 6-0, 6-3 Monday in their first-round match at the Rogers Cup.

Rain washed out most of the matches scheduled in the women's half of the draw, and Williams and Lisicki didn't take the court until after 10 p.m. local time.

When they did, the 14th-seeded Williams wasn't sharp, giving away more than a half-dozen points on double faults.

Lisicki was strong in her service game and rarely made the kind of mistakes that cost Williams.

Fans who waited out the rain tried to encourage Williams during her struggles.

After hitting a crucial shot into the net during the second set, the 35-year-old former world No. 1 shouted, "Come on" and covered her mouth to mutter more words to herself in frustration.

Only one other singles match was completed Monday, as Italy's Flavia Pennetta defeated Ottawa's Gabriel Dabrowski 6-4, 6-1 on center court.

The weather forced a crowded schedule for Tuesday, which will feature Canada's Eugenie Bouchard against Switzerland's Belinda Bencic on center court to start the night session.

Top-ranked Serena Williams faces Pennetta in a second-round match on Tuesday afternoon.

American Madison Brengle will face Canada's Carol Zhao in the afternoon after their match was rained out Monday.

(Sources from Philstar.com and Philippinemavericks.com)