O’Neill opens eyes at Challenger

The 17-year-old O’Neill advanced to the quarter-final in the singles category of last week’s 25,000 Tevlin Challenger event in Toronto before losing to American Carly Gullickson in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2. Gullickson, whose father Bill pitched for the Montreal Expos in the early 1980s, used an all-court game that kept O’Neill on her heels. O’Neill, a former nine-time national amateur champion who moved to the West Island from Halifax at the age of 13, pulled off a major upset at the event in her second-round singles match. Ranked No. 837, she beat Angelica Bachmann 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. Bachmann was ranked No. 225. In doubles play, O’Neill and partner Laura Pol advanced to the second round, only to lose 6-2, 7-5 to Maureen Drake and Sharon Fichman.

— Michael Piasetzki