In days of yore when no Canadian had performed a match by the primary weekend in the principle draw of a giant match just like the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, it meant no person had a excessive sufficient rating to get direct entry or that nobody had made it by means of the qualifying occasion.
These days Canada’s prime gamers aren’t even beginning till the weekend as is the case with Félix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov and Leylah Annie Fernandez on the 2022 BNP Paribas Open. With Auger-Aliassime ranked No. 9, Shapovalov No. 13 and Fernandez at No. 21, they’re nicely inside the 32 seeded gamers and obtain byes, which suggests a later begin within the match
That has been an unimaginable transformation within the final 10 years. As much as that time no Canadian man had ranked inside the highest 40, and solely Carling Bassett-Seguso (No. 8 in 1985) and Aleksandra Wozniak (No. 21 in 2009) had damaged the top-25 barrier among the many girls.
It has been a bonanza within the intervening years with Bianca Andreescu attending to No. 4 (2019), Genie Bouchard making it to No. 5 (2016) and Fernandez, simply final month, rating contained in the High 20 at No. 19. Whereas among the many males Milos Raonic reached No. 3 (2016), Auger-Aliassime No. 9 (2022), Shapovalov No. 10 (2020) and Vasek Pospisil No. 25 in (2014).
It is going to be troublesome this 12 months for any of Fernandez, Auger-Aliassime or Shapovalov to equal the very best Canadian outcomes at Indian Wells as a result of Andreescu received the title (Angelique Kerber) in 2019 and Raonic completed as runner-up to Novak Djokovic in 2016.
After a disappointing fourth-round 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(4) loss to Shelby Rogers within the California desert final October (her first occasion after being a US Open finalist), Fernandez might be hoping to do higher however faces some doubtlessly stiff opposition early – starting with Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. on Saturday. This primary assembly between the 2 gamers was arrange by the No. 43-ranked American’s 6-2, 6-2 victory over No. 200-ranked compatriot Emma Navarro on Thursday night time.
Anisimova, 21, has obtained plenty of sympathy on the tour since her father/coach Konstantin died out of the blue at age 52 of a coronary heart assault in August 2020.
She enters the 2022 BNP Paribas Open contemporary from a windfall $150,000 (USD) winner-take-all payday on the Tie Break Tens exhibition on the Indian Wells Tennis Backyard on Wednesday night time. She beat Maria Sakkari 10-7 within the closing and stated that she is going to donate a few of her prize cash to aid efforts in Ukraine.
That’s much more cash – minus the charitable donation – than the $30,130 she is going to earn if she reaches the third spherical with a win over Fernandez.
Fernandez, who was crushed by Paula Badosa on the Tie Break Tens occasion, will most likely desire to feed off of a doubles end result on Thursday night to get confidence for the match towards Anisimova. She placed on a glowing show partnering Alizé Cornet as they upset the second-seeded pairing of Sam Stosur and Zhang Shuai 1-6, 7-6(7), [10-8] in entrance of a pleasant, partisan crowd in Stadium 4.
In fact, Fernandez can primarily really feel she’s on the prime of her recreation after her second consecutive title on the WTA 250 occasion in Monterrey, Mexico, final weekend.
Anisimova is likely one of the largest hitters on the tour and if Fernandez will get previous the 5-foot-11 American she may play an excellent larger hitter, the red-hot Latvian Jelena Ostapenko. The 2017 Roland Garros champion has just lately discovered a wealthy vein of type. Fernandez – Ostapenko could possibly be a preview of a match-up when Canada hosts Latvia in Billie Jean King Cup motion subsequent month in Vancouver.
Denis Shapovalov makes his fourth look in Indian Wells – finest end result being a spherical of 16 in 2019 – when he performs No. 45-ranked Alejandro Davidovich Fokina on Saturday. The 22-year-old had a stern take a look at on Thursday towards No. 167 Borna Coric, the 25-year-old Croat who’s returning after greater than a 12 months off the tour following shoulder surgical procedure. Davidovich Fokina received 6-7(5), 6-0, 7-5 in two hours and 23 minutes. It is going to be a primary assembly between the Spaniard and his Canadian fellow 22-year-old.
Shapovalov has had a strong 12 months along with his solely early losses being to Jiri Lehecka in Rotterdam and Arthur Rinderknech in Doha. In his final outing in Dubai, he appeared ready to succeed in the ultimate earlier than shedding within the semi-finals 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 7-6(3) to match revelation Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic.
Past Davidovich Fokina for the 13th– seeded Shapovalov could possibly be No. 17 Reilly Opelka within the third spherical and No. 4 Rafael Nadal within the spherical of 16.
Shapovalov is in Indian Wells along with his new coach Jamie Delgado and has added long-time Canadian stalwart Peter Polansky (see picture above) to the assist crew for the occasion. Polansky, coming in from Davis Cup in The Hague, Netherlands, final weekend, had hoped to play the qualifying however missed out by one spot.
If Novak Djokovic had withdrawn from the match sooner, No. 9 seed Auger-Aliassime (above with Reilly Opelka on Thursday) would have been within the prime eight and presumably had a better draw. However as it’s he’s not poorly positioned with a gap match on Sunday towards both No. 47-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands or American qualifier No. 153 Tennys Sandgren. Auger-Aliassime is 1-0 head-to-head towards van de Zandschulp (Stockholm 2021) and 1-1 with Sandgren (shedding in Cincinnati 2020 and profitable in Acapulco 2021).
Auger-Aliassime returns to motion after profitable his first title (Stefanos Tsitsipas) in Rotterdam final month earlier than shedding within the closing (Andrey Rublev) in Marseille the next week. He then made one in every of his uncommon visits dwelling to Montreal, one which included an look on the favored discuss present Tout Le Monde En Parle.
After Indian Wells and Miami Open in two weeks, Auger-Aliassime’s schedule for the clay-court season forward will start in Monte Carlo on April 10, (week off), Estoril, (most off every week off), Madrid and Rome earlier than Roland Garros begins Could 22.
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