QUÉBEC CITY, CANADA – No.1 seed Eugenie Bouchard closed out the first round at the Coupe Banque Nationale with a solid victory over Mandy Minella, 6-3, 6-4.

“It’s always so nice to win in front of a crowd that’s buzzing like that,” Bouchard said of the strong support from the home fans.

“It was awesome. The stadium was full tonight and I really felt the fans support when they scream out. It does make a difference, when things aren’t going so well. It motivates me.”

Bouchard faced a stern challenge from Minella, who earlier in the year took home the title at the WTA 125K event in Bol. The Canadian traded breaks with Minella twice as the pair wrestled for the momentum in the first set before a double fault gave Bouchard the decisive break at 4-2. Bouchard was steadier in the second set, going up an early break at 2-1 and holding on to that lead until the end.

“I really felt like I didn’t play near my best,” Bouchard assessed. “But these are the matches that are important to fight through and find solutions to win. At least I did that today.”

Earlier in the day, CiCi Bellis scored her first win as a professional tennis player in a hard-fought battle against American qualifier Danielle Lao. She needed seven match points to close out her final service game, but she got the job done 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 after two hours and twenty minutes.

“I knew Danielle was playing well – I mean, she passed qualies and beat someone really good in the first round,” Bellis said after the match. “I knew it was going to be a tough one, I’m just glad I got through.”

Yesterday, Bellis announced that she was turning professional after a summer of great results, including a third-round appearance at the US Open. Now into the quarterfinals of the Coupe Banque Nationale, it looks like

“I feel really confident after my summer of WTA tournaments and then the US Open,” Bellis explained. “I think it was time. It was an easy decision to make – I’m was very excited about it.”

Bellis will face another American in the quarterfinals after Jessica Boserup knocked out No.7 seed Evgeniya Rodina 6-4, 6-3.

A pair of qualifiers also made their way to the quarterfinals after Lauren Davis defeated No.8 seed Samantha Crawford 6-4, 6-1 and Tereza Martincova defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.