||Photo: Nina Henry|||||Photo: Nina Henry
Brayden Schnur (Pickering, ON), Katherine Sebov (Toronto, ON) and Carol Zhao (Richmond Hill, ON) are still in action in the Winnipeg and Saskatoon main draws. The men are competing on the courts of the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club at the Winnipeg National Bank Challenger which offers $54,160 in total prize money. The women’s ITF tournament, which offers $25,000 in total prize money, is being played at the Riverside Badminton and Tennis Club in Saskatoon.
On a day which saw several of the event’s top seeds knocked out in Winnipeg, Schnur (no. 3) made it into the quarter-finals with a 6-4, 6-7(0), 6-3 win over fellow Canadian Justin Boulais (Toronto, ON). On Friday, Schnur will face the United States’ Maxime Cressey who advanced thanks to a 7-5, 7-6(5) victory over Darian King (no. 9). Cem Ilkel, Daniel Nguyen, Antonie Hoang (no. 2) and Norbert Gombos (no. 6) also secured their places in the quarter-finals with victories. Peter Polansky (Thornhill, ON) was unable to replicate his compatriot’s result, though, losing 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 to Japan’s Hiroki Moriya (no. 15). The day’s biggest upset came in the form of Australian Bernard Tomic’s (No.1) 1-6, 7-6(7), 6-4 loss to Zhe Li (no. 13) of China.
In doubles, Canada’s Adil Shamasdin (Toronto, ON) and Hunter Reese of the United States (no. 1) reached the semi-finals having ousted Joao Menezes and Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera in a pulsating match which finished 4-6, 7-6(7), 10-6. Canadian pair Nicaise Muamba (Gatineau, QC) and Gabriel Diallo (Montreal, QC) lost 6-3, 7-6(6) to Dennis Novikov and Hans Hach Verdugo.
Meanwhile, top seeded Canadian Sebov cruised into the quarter-finals in Saskatoon. The 20-year-old overcame Pamela Montez 6-3, 7-6(2) in the round-of-16 to confirm her place in the event’s final eight, where she will face Olivia Tjandramulia. Fellow Canadian Zhao also tasted victory with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Russia’s Anna Morgina. She will face Australian Maddison Inglis (no. 2) in the next round. Hanna Chang, Marcela Zacarias, Haruka Kaji (no. 8) and Madison Westby also booked their places in the quarter-finals.
There are two Canadians still competing in doubles action. Stacey Fung and partner Ingrid Neel will take on Kaji and Momoko Kobori, while Louise Kwong and Kennedy Shaffer will come up against Zacarias and Chieh-Yu Hsu (no. 2).
(Feature photo: David Mahussier)
