Exactly 20 years since Aleksandra Wozniak won the first-ever W75 Tevlin Challenger, eight Canadians have the chance to become the fifth singles champion to win on home soil at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto. Marina Stakusic was the last to do so in 2023.
Kayla Cross enters as the highest-seeded Canadian in the field. The No. 4 seed finished as runner-up in 2024, losing to this year’s No. 1 seed Louisa Chirico of the United States.
If the 20-year-old from London is victorious in her first-round match, she is guaranteed to face a Canadian in the round of 16, either qualifier Alexandra Vagramov or wildcard Dasha Plekhanova.
Cross is one of two seeded Canucks in singles as Katherine Sebov enters as the No. 8 seed. The Torontonian will open the tournament against countrywoman Anna Tabunshchyk, who got into the the main draw as a lucky loser. The winner of the all-Canadian matchup will meet either Canada’s junior No. 1 Nadia Lagaev or Japanese Haruna Arakawa.
Ariana Arseneault and Teah Chavez round out the home contingent as wildcards.
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In doubles, Raphaëlle Lacasse is back for more Canadian silverware. The Montrealer looks for her third consecutive title and her second with Arseneault. The Saguenay champions have the potential to play Canadians Lagaev and Clemence Mercier in the second round.
Cross once again leads the Canucks in doubles as the No. 2 seed alongside Brit Amelia Rajecki. The duo could meet Vagramov and Melodie Collard in the quarter-finals before Chavez and Scarlett Nicholson in the semifinal.
There hasn’t been a Canadian doubles champion at the Tevlin Challenger since Sharon Fichman, who won with American Maria Sanchez in 2018.
The main draw gets underway on Tuesday morning.
Feature Photo: Tennis Canada
