Rebecca Marino stops Marion Bartoli in her tracks at Bell Tennis challenge

Vancouver native earns first Top 20 win over top-seeded Frenchwoman in Quebec City

Rebecca Marino (Vancouver, BC) achieved another milestone in her young career on Wednesday night at the Bell Challenge in Quebec City, a $220,000 WTA Tour event.

Just two weeks removed from the playing the biggest match of her life on Arthur Ashe Stadium against Venus Williams in the second round of the U.S. Open, Marino is making headlines again after ousting world no. 14 Marion Bartoli of France 6-1, 6-3 to reach her first WTA quarter-final. The win is also her first over a Top 20 player.

"This was one of the best matches of my life," Marino said. "She’s the highest-ranked player I’ve ever beaten. I want to be playing at this level, competing against – and winning – against these players. I have put a lot of work in and maybe this is a reward for that."

Marino served 10 aces and lost only 18 points on serve in the 75 minute match. The 19-year-old also broke Bartoli’s serve four times in six attempts. She will face American Bethanie Mattek-Sands in Friday’s quarterfinals.

With the victory, Marino becomes only the second Canadian to beat a Top 15 player in the last 10 years.

Aleksandra Wozniak has accomplished the feat four times in that span.

"Rebecca gave me absolutely no chance," Bartoli remarked after the match. "If she plays like that every day she can be Top 20, Top 10 even. I felt she could put the ball wherever she wanted to and I had no chance to win the match with her playing like that. She served well; there was so much pressure for me to hold my serve."

Marino’s compatriots Stéphanie Dubois (Laval, QC) and Valérie Tétreault (St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC) will attempt to join her in the final eight when they take over Centre Court tonight at PEPS on the campus of Laval University for their second round matches. Tétreault will begin proceedings during Thursday’s evening session against American Christina McHale followed by Dubois who will take on another American in Alexa Glatch. Both Canadians upset seeded players in their opening matches.