Dancevic, 23, of Niagara Falls, Ont., was the only Canuck to advance Monday, upsetting Croatian Mario Ancic 6-3, 6-4 before a partisan Centre Court gathering at the Rexall Centre. Frederic Niemeyer, of Deauville, Que., lost both his first-round singles and doubles matches.
Dancevic said his win brought back memories of his play in last year's event when the Canadian thrilled tennis fans in Montreal by reaching the quarter-final round before losing to Spain's Rafael Nadal.
A big reason for Dancevic's apprehension was missing 3 1/2 months earlier this year with a back injury suffered at the Australian Open. But on Monday night, Dancevic was dominant on Ancic's second serve, winning stellar 71 per cent of the return points.
Dancevic also won a whopping 81 per cent of points on his first serve.
Dancevic, Canada's top singles player with a No. 82 world ranking, fell behind 2-0 in the second set before rallying to tie it 2-2. Dancevic broke Ancic, ranked No. 24, to take a 5-4 lead before serving out the match.
Dancevic doesn't have much time to savour his victory. He faces third-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic on Tuesday night. Djokovic won this title last year in Montreal.
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