MONDAY DIGEST: ALEXIS GALARNEAU SO CLOSE IN MEXICO 

There were quite a few Canadians in action all around the world last week, with most of them kicking off their clay court season. A new surface means time to adapt, and it turns out that the most adaptable of them all was Alexis Galarneau, who fought his way into to the final of the Mexico City Challenger.  

After some time away to rehab a wrist injury and with so few points to defend over the next few weeks, he’ll be focused on capitalizing on his upcoming tournaments to move up in the rankings. Will clay treat him well? 

Here’s a quick look at last week’s highlights.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: FERNANDEZ FALLS IN CHARLESTON 

Leylah Annie Fernandez inaugurated her clay season at the WTA 500 Charleston Open. As the 14th seed in a very tough draw, she took advantage of a first-round bye but was toppled in the next round by Sloane Stephens in two sets. On Sunday, Danielle Collins added yet another winner’s crown (!) to her trophy case. 

On the men’s side, only Denis Shapovalov was in action at the ATP 250 in Houston. They say everything’s bigger in Texas, and that apparently applies to Marcos Giron’s game. In the opening round, he got the better of Shapo in two sets.  

Read also: Shapovalov – 2024 Edition

FÉLIX AUGER-ALIASSIME COMES OUT OF THE GATE STRONG IN MONTE CARLO

As Canada’s sole representative at the season’s first clay court Masters 1000 in Monaco, Félix started out strong with a two-set win over qualifier Luca Nardi. Let’s hope he walked away from the match with plenty of confidence because waiting in the wings is none other than Carlos Alcaraz (3), king of our ATP power rankings.  

It won’t be easy for Félix, but if he can cause the upset and move into the third round, the draw could open up pretty quickly. We’ll be following the tournament all week.  

UNDER THE RADAR: ALEXIS GALARNEAU IN THE FINAL TWO IN MEXICO CITY

Alexis Galarneau came so close to winning his first title of 2024 at the Mexico City Challenger. In the final showdown, Thiago Agustin Tirante (1) outmaneuvered the Canadian in two sets. Visibly bothered by an injury, Galarneau struggled on serve. Regardless, it was a sparkling week for him, as he moves up 36 spots to No.176. 

In the women’s game, Carson Branstine and Ekaterina Reyngold took the top honors in doubles at the ITF tournament in Hammamet, Tunisia. The Canadian was also a finalist in the singles event.

This week, Galarneau and Vasek Pospisil are at the Morelos Open Challenger. They both face tough opponents in their opening matches, as Galarneau takes on top seed Rinky Hijikata while Pospisil tussles with Gijs Brouwer (7). 

Gabriel Diallo, Benjamin Sigouin and Kelsey Stevenson are in the mix at the Sarasota Challenger in Florida. In the first round of the singles event, Diallo (7) faces a qualifier. Sigouin and Stevenson are in the doubles event: Sigouin will play with Alexander Ritschard of Switzerland and Stevenson joined forces with New Zealander Ajeet Rai. The Canadians could collide in the semis.

You can follow the Canadians in action every week here.