It was a relatively slow start for Canadians in the opening stages of this year’s Asian Swing. But the Canucks will have another shot at silverware in the world’s largest continent as a pair of 1000 events in China are soon to get underway.
Here’s what you need to know.
In Case You Missed It: Fernandez, Gauff Meet in Three-Set Thriller
Leylah Annie Fernandez headlined the Canadians in action after her clash with world No. 3 Coco Gauff at the China Open.
The Lavalloise cruised by Maria Sakkari in the second round to set up her third meeting of the year against the two-time major champion in the round of 32 in Beijing. The two combined for 15 breaks, and Fernandez even mounted a 2-5 comeback in the decisive set but ultimately came up short in the end, losing 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.
The match took two hours and 45 minutes, her second-longest match of the year so far behind her semifinal win over Elena Rybakina in Washington in July.
Other Canadians didn’t quite hit the ground running in Asia. Victoria Mboko, Bianca Andreescu, and Gabriela Dabrowski all lost their opening matches in the Chinese capital, while Denis Shapovalov and Gabriel Diallo had the same fate at the Japan Open in Tokyo.
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Like Fernandez, Diallo also met a very familiar American No. 1 in a three-setter. The Montrealer battled Taylor Fritz and was on the wrong end of a comeback after the Californian overcame a calf issue to take the match 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(3).
Diallo fell to 0-3 this season against Fritz, with two of those matches going the distance.
What to Watch: Shapovalov, Auger-Aliassime in Same Quarter in Shanghai
Félix Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov have potential to meet in “the newlywed match” come the quarter-final of the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
No. 12 seed Auger-Aliassime is projected to play Miami champion Jakub Mensik in the third round and world No. 9 Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth before any thoughts of the quarter-final. Shapovalov could meet world No. 17 Jiri Lehecka in the round of 32 then Alexander Zverev in the last 16.
Diallo shares his quarter with some big names in Shanghai. The No. 31 seed’s opening match could come against another big server in Reilly Opelka and, if Diallo goes on a deep run, he might have to go through Ben Shelton, Casper Ruud, and Novak Djokovic before the semifinal.
Liam Draxl sets his sights on adding to the Canadian contingent in the main draw, which kicks off on Wednesday. The Newmarket-native is on to the second round of qualifying.
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Mboko and Fernandez don’t have to travel far for their next chance at a WTA 1000 title. The two Canadians will be seeded once again, just south of Beijing at the Dongfeng Voyah Wuhan Open. The main draw gets started next week on Monday.
Under the Radar: Cross Reaches Year’s Second ITF Final in Templeton
Kayla Cross made her second ITF final of the year at the W75 Templeton but was forced to retire in the second set.
The London-native entered as the No. 5 seed and only dropped one set en route to the final, winning a tight third-set tiebreak against Claire Liu in the quarter-final. Cross battled American Kayla Day for the title and, after dropping the opening set 6-2, the Canadian retired due to injury in the second.
Canadian Ariana Arseneault also reached a final at the W35 Monastir. The Richmond Hillian partnered with her Auburn Tigers teammate Carolyn Ansari and were the doubles draw No. 2 seeds.
The Canadian-American duo faced No. 1 seeds Martyna Kubka of Poland and Katarina Kuzmova of Slovakia for the title and fell 7-5, 6-4.
Arseneault is back in action at the W75 Bratislava on Tuesday in both singles and doubles.
Feature Photo: Martin Sidorjak
