Monday Digest: Venos Leads Big Week for Wheelchair Athletes

A formidable victory by Thomas Venos final week added to what has been an enormous yr for Canadian wheelchair tennis gamers. 

Venos was not even the one Canadian wheelchair athlete to carry a trophy final week. The truth is, there was even one claimed on dwelling soil. 

Right here’s what it’s worthwhile to know. 

Below the Radar: Venos Heads Canadian Triple 

There was a steady stream of big results by the Canadians on the ITF Wheelchair Tour in 2024, however final week was the most important week but with three trophies ending up in Canadian fingers. 

Thomas Venos led the way in which with a win on the Futures occasion in Villers-lès-Nancy, France. After three straight-set wins to advance to the title match, the Canadian gritted out a three-set win 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 to assert his first title of the yr. 

The title is the fifth ITF singles title of Venos’ profession. It is usually his first outdoors of North America, as his earlier 4 titles all got here in both Canada or the US. The 24-year-old has now received a singles title in three consecutive seasons. 

This week, Venos will look to maintain the momentum going at an occasion in Plock, Poland. 

Mitch McIntyre received his second ITF quad doubles title of the year in Switzerland final week. He and Israeli associate Shraga Weinberg dropped a mere two video games on their strategy to the title, which they received by defeating the top-seeded pair 6-1, 6-1. 

Gary Luker made it three wins for the Canadians and his got here on dwelling soil on the Premier Racquet Membership Wheelchair Basic in Markham, ON. Luker received the quad singles occasion, which was a round-robin. He received all of his matches in straight units, dropping a complete of simply eight video games within the occasion. 

Learn additionally: Kai Schrameyer Set Bar High for Canadian Wheelchair Tennis Players

Whereas Luker was the lone Canadian to assert a professional title in Markham, Anne-Marie Dolinar got here near becoming a member of him within the winner’s circle. She reached the ladies’s singles remaining the place she fell in straight units to the highest seed Maria Fernanda Alves of Brazil. 

Canada additionally performed host to an ITF J100 junior occasion in Burlington final week, with three of the 4 trophies ending up in Canadian fingers. 

Nicolas Arseneault claimed the boys singles title when his twin brother Mikael retired within the remaining. Emma Dong received the ladies singles title over fellow Canadian Anna Tabunshchyk. The women doubles title was claimed by the host-nation group of Anastasia Malysheva and Anna Taylor.  

Canada’s juniors had been additionally competing on the Jr Davis Cup, Jr Billie Jean King Cup, and U14 World Junior Tennis group competitors qualifying occasions final week. The U14 boys group and the U16 ladies group each certified for the finals later this yr.

Click here to read more about the qualifying event.

Alexis Galarneau’s robust type on the ATP Challenger Tour in Mexico continued final week as he reached the semifinals of an occasion in Acapulco. Galarneau has reached the quarter-finals or higher in 4 consecutive weeks at occasions in Mexico. 

This week, the Canadian ladies are out in pressure at a pair of ITF W100 occasions. Rebecca Marino, Carol Zhao and Stacey Fung are all competing in Tokyo, Japan, whereas Marina Stakusic and Katherine Sebov are within the attract Oeiras, Portugal.  

In Case You Missed It: Muddy Progress for Auger-Aliassime 

Félix Auger-Aliassime reached his first quarter-final of the clay-court swing final week in Munich, his second journey to the final eight of an occasion in 2024. 

It was a difficult week in Germany as climate wreaked havoc with the schedule and the courtroom. The Canadian was in a position to rating wins over Maximilian Marterer and Taro Daniel earlier than falling in the quarters against eventual-champion Jan-Lennard Struff in a match that began within the rain on Friday earlier than being completed on Saturday morning. 

Denis Shapovalov made his 2024 on the European clay final week however misplaced within the first spherical of Bucharest to Corentin Moutet. 

Click here for more news from the tours.

What to Watch: Madrid Raises the Stakes 

The primary mixed 1000 occasion on clay kicks off this week on the Mutua Madrid Open with three Canadians within the singles attracts. 

Leylah Annie Fernandez will contest her first occasion of 2024 on the European grime. Because the 32^nd seed, she will get a first-round bye and can meet both Diana Shnaider or Anastasia Potapova in her first match.  

In spherical three, Fernandez is projected to fulfill the 2022 Madrid champion Ons Jabeur, seeded eighth. Ninth seed Jelena Ostapenko might loom in spherical 4. The Canadian is in the identical quarter as world No. 3 Coco Gauff and is within the prime half of the draw with world No. 1 Iga Swiatek. 

Learn additionally: Danielle Collins Catches Fire

On the boys’s facet, Félix Auger-Aliassime opens towards Yoshihito Nishioka, with whom the Canadian has cut up their earlier 4 conferences though Auger-Aliassime has received the final two, and would face No. 19 seed Adrian Mannarino in spherical two.  

The Montrealer has a tough draw with No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov in line for spherical three, adopted by Barcelona champion Casper Ruud within the fourth spherical and prime seed Jannik Sinner possible awaiting within the quarter-finals. 

Denis Shapovalov kicks off his marketing campaign towards Facundo Diaz Acosta and would meet Roland-Garros quarter-finalist Tomas Martin Etcheverry in spherical two. Two-time Madrid champion Alexander Zverev looms in spherical three. Shapovalov confronted Zverev within the 2018 semifinals at this occasion, which the German received in straight units.  

You may observe the Canadians in motion each week here.