Canadians have good reason to have high hopes for Wimbledon over the next fortnight, having enjoyed great success in the preparatory tournaments.
Last week two other players reached finals on English grass. They now hope to repeat this success at the All England Club.
Here’s what you need to know.
In case you missed it: Fernandez and Dabroswki are close to triumph
Leylah Annie Fernandez and Gabriela Dabrowski will look to continue their momentum following their respective finals at the Rothesay International in Eastbourne last week.
In the singles, Fernandez had a brilliant run, eliminating Barbora Krejcikova, Harriet Dart and Madison Keys to reach her first ever grass court final before losing to Daria Kasatkina.
Dabrowski came close to claiming her second grass court title with Erin Routliffe while serving in the match in Eastbourne against Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko, but eventually lost in the super tiebreaker.
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Three of the four Canadians who will compete in the two weeks at the All England Club reached the grass court finals before the championships: Bianca Andreescu, Fernandez and Dabrowski.
Don’t miss: Action at the prestigious All England Club
Six Canadians are competing this week on the lawns of the All England Club as part of the third Grand Slam tournament of the year: Wimbledon.
Two of them have started their journey. Denis Shapovalov eliminated Nicolas Jarry, 19eseeded, in three sets, while Bianca Andreescu got rid of Jaqueline Cristian, also in two sets.
The other three Canadians in the singles draw, Leylah Annie Fernandez, Félix Auger-Aliassime and Marina Stakusic, will take the stage on Tuesday.
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Stakusic is competing in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time after progressing through the qualifying stages for the first time in his career.
Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe are second in women’s doubles. Fernandez also plays doubles with Ena Shibahara. Shapovalov teams up with Thanasi Kokkinakis for men’s doubles.
Click here to read the preview of the Canadians’ journey at Wimbledon.
Under the radar: Under-15s stand out
The Canadian juniors had an excellent week and a few members of the Canadian under-15 prospect team stood out.
At 14 and during the Tennis Europe tournament in Edinburgh, Scotland, Alexandre Collin was crowned doubles champion with his Czech partner Daniel Soukup. During the week, the tandem conceded just one set and got the better of the British favorites in the final.
At home, during the J30 tournament in Winnipeg, the host country won not only the titles but also all the semi-finals as every final match featured Canadians.
Elicia Lin, the second seed in women’s singles, won the title by defeating Amy Shen, a member of the U15 team, in the final. Lin scored a double in Winnipeg and also won the doubles trophy with Havana Kadi.
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Gary Jiang, favorite among the boys, took top honors by beating Dani Farran in the final. Farran got revenge in the doubles final when he and partner Jakob Gaudreau Barnes defeated Jiang and Matthew Jian Hao Lee for the title.
This week, professional tennis returns to Canada as Laval hosts an ITF U25 event, the country’s first professional tournament since last March. Liam Draxl is the favourite.
Click here to read a preview of the tournament.
You can follow the Canadians every week by clicking here.
