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With the Australian Open so early within the tennis 12 months, the schedule wastes little time in upping the depth and Leylah Annie Fernandez and Felix Auger-Aliassime are right here for it.
First-round motion is already underway on the first Grand Slam of the 12 months and the highest Canadians have impressed, albeit in very completely different opening matches.
Right here’s what you should know.
In Case You Missed It: Tough 2024 Debuts for Auger-Aliassime, Shapovalov
Each Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov received their 2024 seasons underway correctly final week on the ATP 250 occasion in Auckland, but it surely was not the beginning that both man hoped for. Each misplaced their opening match in straight units.
Shapovalov was taking part in his first match because the spherical of 16 at Wimbledon, the place he suffered what turned out to be a season-ending knee harm. He misplaced within the first spherical to seventh seed Sebastian Ofner 6-4, 6-2.
Auger-Aliassime was taking part in his first singles match of the 12 months, having performed combined doubles on the United Cup the earlier week. He had a bye however misplaced in spherical two to Daniel Altmeier 7-6(9), 7-5 in his first singles match because the Paris Masters final fall.
Five Canadians competed in Australian Open qualifying final week however just one, Rebecca Marino, was capable of come by means of and attain the principle draw. Marino received in after Katherine Sebov retired from their all-Canadian conflict within the last spherical.
Gabriel Diallo misplaced in three units within the final spherical of qualies to David Goffin. Carol Zhao went out in spherical two, whereas Stacey Fung was overwhelmed in her first-round match.
What to Watch: Australian Open Underway
5 Canadians are competing within the singles competitors on the season’s first main. 4 have performed their opening matches with divided outcomes.
Leylah Annie Fernandez was the primary Canadian on courtroom in Melbourne and the first to advance, beating Sarah Bejlek in straight sets. The 32nd seed performs Alycia Parks subsequent with No. 4 Coco Gauff potentially waiting in the third round.
All of the Canadian males competed on Monday, however solely Felix Auger-Aliassime lived to combat one other day, and solely by the pores and skin of his tooth.
Learn Additionally: Australian Open Men’s Power Rankings
Within the longest match of his profession, the 2022 Australian Open quarter-finalist narrowly averted dropping from two units up for the third time in 4 years in Melbourne, hanging on to defeat 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem in 5 units. The match completed one minute shy of 5 hours.
Subsequent up for the Canadian No. 1 is qualifier Hugo Grenier. A rematch of the epic 2022 quarter-final with Daniil Medvedev looms in round three.
Milos Raonic was featured on Rod Laver Area and put up combat in opposition to No. 10 seed Alex de Minaur, taking the opening set. However a hip harm derailed the previous Australian Open semifinalist and he retired within the third set.
Denis Shapovalov misplaced in straight units to qualifier Jakub Mensik in straight units.
Learn Additionally: Australian Open Women’s Power Rankings
Rebecca Marino will play her first-round match on Tuesday in opposition to fifth seed Jessica Pegula.
Gabriela Dabrowski is the lone Canadian competing in doubles. She and Erin Routliffe are seeded fourth and can open in opposition to Nadia Podoroska and Mayar Sherif.
The US Open champions are in the identical quarter as eighth seeds Beatriz Haddad Maia and Taylor Townsend and are within the high half of the draw with high seeds Pegula and Coco Gauff.
Below the Radar:
The very best Canadian consequence on the ITF circuit final week was Layne Sleeth reaching the quarter-finals of the W35 occasion in Naples.
This week, Carson Branstine returns to Monastir, Tunisia on the ITF circuit, the place she received two titles final November. There’s a massive contingent of Canadian males competing on the ITF M25 in Ithica, New York, in addition to a gaggle of Canadian wheelchair tennis gamers at an ITF occasion in Arizona.
Vasek Pospisil will kick off his season on the ATP Challenger Tour this week at an occasion California.
You possibly can comply with the Canadians in motion each week here.
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