Monday Digest: Dabrowski Clinches WTA Finals to Cap Off Dream Weekend for Canada

It is no understatement to say that Sunday was a huge day for Canadian tennis. 

Three championships on the same day is a rarity for even the biggest tennis superpowers. But for Canada, it was the reality last weekend.  

And with some huge tournaments still ahead, this weekend sets up a potentially historic finish to the season. 

Here’s what you need to know. 

In Case You Missed It: Maple-Flavoured Hat Trick 

The good news just kept coming on Sunday for Canada as Leylah Annie Fernandez, Gabriela Dabrowski, and Gabriel Diallo all lifted trophies. 

In Hong Kong, Fernandez had her best week of the season. It was already her best result when she reached the semifinals, but that was not enough for the young Canadian who went all the way, winning the third WTA Tour title of her career with a comeback victory over Katerina Siniakova. 

Gabriela Dabrowski joined her in the winner’s circle, claiming her second title of the year with Erin Routliffe at the WTA 500 event in Zhengzhou. 

With the win, the Canadian-Kiwi team completed their somewhat surprising bid to qualify for the WTA Finals. The pair only joined forces in August and have competed in just eight tournaments together. 

But what a run it has been for the pair. They have made the most of their short time together, reaching four semifinals, three finals including the WTA 1000 event in Guadalajara, and scoring a pair of titles including the US Open. 

Their Zhengzhou victory was the final push they needed to clinch a spot in the eight-team field in Cancun later this month. 

Capping off the big day on Sunday was Diallo winning his second ATP Challenger event with a dominant performance in Bratislava. 

Meanwhile on the ATP Tour, Hubert Hurkacz was the last man standing in a wild-upset filled draw in Shanghai. He won a crazy final against Andrey Rublebv that saw both men save championship points to claim his second Masters 1000 crown. 

Read the full tournament recap on the National Bank Open website. 

What to Watch: Felix Off and Running in Tokyo 

That winning feeling has already carried over into this week as Felix Auger-Aliassime managed to score a victory to start his campaign at the ATP 500 event in Tokyo, beating Aleksandar Vukic in three sets. 

Seeded seventh, Auger-Aliassime will look to win consecutive matches for the first time since Indian Wells in March when he takes on Sebastian Ofner in round two. The Canadian could meet second seed Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals.  

Taylor Fritz is the top seed in a Tokyo draw that also includes the Shanghai champion Hubert Hurkacz, as well as Alex de Minaur, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton.  

Auger-Aliassime is staying in Asia rather than returning to the indoor European hard courts he dominated last fall. He would have been the defending champion this week in Antwerp, where Stefanos Tsitsipas is the top seed. 

There is also an ATP 250 event in Stockholm. 

Leylah Annie Fernandez will look to keep her momentum going after her Hong Kong victory this week in Nanchang. She will open against Hanyu Guo and could have a rematch of the Hong Kong semis with Anna Blinkova in round two. 

Second seed Magda Linette is Fernandez’s projected quarter-final opponent. Beatriz Haddad Maia is the top seed. 

Fernandez will also be keeping one eye on the doubles draw in Nanchang, as her place at the WTA Finals is in the hands of others. The Canadian and Taylor Townsend currently sit eighth in the race but are not playing this week and could be knocked out of the final spot if Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva make a deep enough run. 

The WTA Tour is stretched across three continents this week, with other 250 events in Monastir, Tunisia and Cluj-Napoca, Romania. 

Under the Radar: 

Diallo’s victory in Bratislava was the biggest highlight for Canada on the lower circuits last week.  

On home soil, the Birmingham National Wheelchair Tennis Championships took place last weekend in Bedford, NS. 

This week, the ITF circuit returns to Canada for the W60 event in Saguenay, where the field is led by Katherine Sebov and Marina Stakusic.  

You can follow the Canadians in action every week here.