The Canadians have wasted no time in wiping the clay off their shoes and switching into something a little more grippy. It is time for the grass season with six of them entering singles draws this week.
Action is already underway on the lawns on the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands, with a couple of Canucks scoring some early victories.
Here’s what you need to know.
What to Watch: Canadians Arrive on Grass
After a tricky finish to the clay season, the Canadians were keen to get things going on grass. Six of them spread out across three tournaments to get the grass swing underway.
There is a lot on the line for Bianca Andreescu at the Libema Open in s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, at the WTA 250 event where she is defending runner-up points from 2024. She will kick off her grass season against qualifier Joanna Garland and would meet seventh seed Lulu Sun in round two.
Andreescu could get a shot at revenge in the quarter-finals, where she is projected to meet top seed Liudmila Samsonova, the woman who beat her in three sets in last year’s final.
Carson Branstine joins Andreescu in the singles main draw, having come through qualifying. The draw gods were not kind to the Canadian though as she will play Samsonova in the first round.
The two Canadian women are teaming up in doubles and won their opening match on Monday against Ekaterina Alexandrova and Anastasia Potapova in straight sets. They will face second seeds Irina Khromacheva and Fanny Stollar in round two.
On the men’s side, Gabriel Diallo picked up his first ATP Tour match win on grass in s-Hertogenbosch, defeating Aleksandar Vukic in two tight sets on Monday. He will play either sixth seed Jordan Thompson or Aleksandar Kovacevic in the second round, with third seed Karen Khachanov looming in the quarter-finals. The Canadian is in the bottom half of the draw with second seed Ugo Humbert.
Photo : ATP Tour
Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov are both kicking off their grass swings in Stuttgart at the ATP 250 event. Auger-Aliassime, a two-time finalist at the event, has a bye as the fourth seed and will play either Roman Safiullin or Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the second round. His projected quarter-final opponent is seventh seed Alex Michelsen, although Gael Monfils is also in that section of the draw.
Shapovalov is seeded fifth and plays Arthur Rinderknech in the first round. A win would set up a clash with either Yannick Hanfmann or Marton Fucsovics. He is in the bottom quarter of the draw with second seed Taylor Fritz. They would meet in the quarter-finals.
The two Canadian men could meet in the semifinals.
Leylah Annie Fernandez was competing at the Queen’s Club in London, the first time the WTA has played there in 52 years, but lost in the first round on Monday to Tatjana Maria in straight sets.
In Case You Missed It: Quiet Week in Paris
Week two of Roland-Garros was low on Canadian content after all of the Canadians in the singles, doubles, and junior draws lost in the first nine days of the event.
Only Rob Shaw was in action down the stretch, competing in the quad wheelchair singles and doubles. The Canadian lost his opening matches in both events.
Under the Radar:
Canada had a few looks at titles on the ITF circuit last week but came up just short of claiming any winners’ trophies.
Cadence Brace got to the final of the W75 event in Sumter, South Carolina, beating countrywoman Katherine Sebov in the semifinals, but lost in the title match to Darja Vidmanova.
Down in the Caribbean, Nicolas Arseneault reached his first professional singles final at the M25 event in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He lost in the final to local favourite Roberto Cid Subervi in straight sets. Nicolas had beaten his twin brother Mikael in three sets in the quarter-finals.
Read also: U15 Canadian Prospect Team attend camps in Toronto, Halifax, and Montreal
Thomas Venos had two shots at trophies at the ITF wheelchair event in Richmond, USA, but lost in both the singles and doubles finals.
This week, Rebecca Marino faces a challenging title defence in Ilkley, UK. A year ago, she won the event when it was an ITF W100, but it has been upgraded to a WTA 125 for 2025. She is the eighth seed this time around.
You can follow the Canadians in action every week here.
Feature Photo : Maureen Fouchier
