Masters Update by Abrysvo: Canadians Impress in the West

By Pete Borkowski

May 7, 2025

Vancouver MD Doubles Vancouver Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club

Canada hosted a pair of ITF Masters events in April and the host nation seized upon their home-court advantage. The majority of the trophies will be staying in the Great White North as Canadians claimed most of the titles. 

Here is the monthly Masters Tennis update by Abrysvo. 

First, Vancouver played host to one of Canada’s largest ITF Masters event last month, the VLTBC Masters Indoor Tennis Championships, an ITF MT700 event.  

The event featured 39 draws with players from around the world. Canada’s Masters represented the home country well, getting at least one hand on 34 of the trophies. 

WD70 Vancouver Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club

Photo : Vancouver Lawn Tennis & Badminton Club

Canadian men were particularly dominant at the event in Vancouver, winning 10 of 11 singles titles and there was at least one Canadian on every victorious doubles team. They spread the wealth, with 26 different men lifting a trophy. 

Hannes Blum was the lone Canadian man to win multiple draws, claiming the 55+ singles and doubles with Keith Leech. 

There were four Canadian women who doubled-up in Vancouver. Lynette Li (45+), Mary Potter (65+), and Janice Holloway (70+) all won the singles and doubles in their respective age groups. Shiera Stuart won two doubles titles, claiming both the 40+ and 50+ titles with different partners. 

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Dhara Zamudio (30+) of the United States and Yan Pang (35+) of China also doubled up, winning the singles and doubles titles in their respective age groups. Both won the doubles with Canadian partners.  

Here is the full list of winners from the Vancouver Masters events. All players are Canadian unless indicated otherwise: 

 

Men’s Singles 

Women’s Singles 

Men’s Doubles 

Women’s Doubles 

30+ 

Patrick Walker 

Dahra Zamudio (USA) 

Grant Findlay-Shirras/ 
Ian Slater 

Jennifer Tse/ 
Dahra Zamudio (USA) 

35+ 

George Jecminek 

Yan Pang (CHN) 

Patrick Flint/ 
Robert Fuhrman 

Kateryna Filyus/ 
Yan Pang (CHN) 

40+ 

Justin Kates 

Ai Inoue (JPN) 

Carson Bell/ 
Paul Ratchford 

Renata Reid/ 
Shiera Stuart 

45+ 

Hayssam Hamdy Gaber 

Lynette Li 

Manuel Calvo/ 
Michael Hopkinson (USA) 

Lynette Li/ 
Michelle Sing 

50+ 

Ernesto Ponce (MEX) 

Jennifer Cherneski 

Julien Heine/ 
Richard Gannon 

Bronwyn Muirhead (AUS)/ 
Shiera Stuart 

55+ 

Hannes Blum 

Susie Lang-Gould 

Hannes Blum/ 
Keith Leech 

Kathy Brashear (ITA)/ 
Kat Goyette (IRL) 

60+ 

Glenn Richards 

Carol Lau 

Stephen Kimoff/ 
Bill Wang 

Anna McAlpine/ 
Leslie van Santen 

65+ 

David Fairbotham 

Mary Potter 

Paul Devine/ 
Patrick Macken 

Brenda Cameron/ 
Mary Potter 

70+ 

Michael McLoughlin 

Janice Holloway 

Warren Lore/ 
Oscar Woodman 

Janice Holloway/ 
Gillian Shea 

75+ 

Thomas Gunton 

Elisabeth Lecavalier 

No Event 

No Event 

80+ 

Kenneth Dahl 

No Event 

No Event 

No Event 

 

Two weeks later, it was Edmonton’s turn as it hosted the MT100 Kay McNeilly Masters Classic. This event was much smaller, with just 17 draws being contested. 

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Mary Potter again was a force to be reckoned with in the west, doubling up in the women’s 60+ division with singles and doubles titles. Jennifer Cherneski, Kristina Sanjevic, and Denise Fernandez all also won multiple titles. 

Here is the full list of winners from the Edmonton Masters events. All players are Canadian unless indicated otherwise: 

 

Men’s Singles 

Women’s Singles 

Men’s Doubles 

Women’s Doubles 

30 + 

Aaron Ponce Montoya (MEX) 

Kristina Sanjevic 

Jaypee Arendain/ 
Melbert Corpus (PHI) 

Jennifer Cherneski/ 
Kristina Sanjevic 

40+ 

Mark MacConnell 

Lindsay Harrison 

Neil Balos/ 
Jigs Dayoc (PHI) 

Jennifer Cherneski/ 
Denise Fernandez 

50+ 

Yanik Deschenes 

Tara Adams 

No Event 

Tara Adams/ 
Jennifer Cleall 

60+ 

Rich Potter 

Mary Potter 

David Crowther/ 
Rich Potter 

Ainslie Lyons/ 
Mary Potter 

There were also two mixed doubles draws. Fernandez and Nathan Morrison won the 30+, while Gillian Shea and Bijan Mannani won the 50+. 

The next ITF event in Canada will be taking place next week in Montreal. 

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There were also a couple of Canadian victories abroad over the last month. 

Rachel Cruikshank delivered an impressive performance to win the women’s 40+ singles title at an MT400 event in Leicester, UK. She dropped just three games in three matches, delivering three bagel sets, and knocked off the top two seeds from the host nation on her way to the title.  

Michel Lessard and Nick Roller claimed the 70+ doubles title at an MT200 event in Rhodes, Greece. They were clutch in match tiebreaks, narrowly getting through their quarter-final 13-11 and then claiming the title with a 10-5 win in the match breaker. 

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Feature Photo: Vancouver Lawn Tennis & Badminton Club