The champions will be back in Riyadh looking to defend their title this fall.
On Monday, the WTA announced that the first three doubles teams, including recent US Open champions Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe, have qualified for the WTA Finals. It will be a fourth straight trip to the year-end championships for Dabrowski and third in a row with Routliffe.
2025 got off to a slow start for the Canadian-Kiwi duo, with a Stuttgart title and an Australian Open semifinal the highlights early on, before they hit their stride in the summer. The pair were the best team on the summer hard courts, winning both Cincinnati and the US Open to skyrocket up the standings in the race to Riyadh, culminating in Monday’s announcement.
Here’s what else you need to know.
In Case You Missed It: Stakusic Tags Ostapenko Again in Guadalajara
Something about Guadalajara bodes well for Marina Stakusic in matchups with Jelena Ostapenko. For the second year in a row, the Canadian defeated the former Roland-Garros champion in the second round of the WTA 500 event in three sets.
Stakusic’s run to the quarter-finals in Guadalajara was her deepest run at a tour-level event in 2025. She beat Polina Kudermetova in three sets in the first round before upsetting the third-seeded Ostapenko in round two. The Canadian had also won two qualifying matches just to get into the main draw.
Rain delays wreaked havoc in Guadalajara and Stakusic had to play her round two match with Ostapenko the same day as her quarter-final, where she bowed out in straight sets to the eventual runner-up Emiliana Arango.
Rebecca Marino was also in the main draw in Guadalajara. She beat Martina Trevisan in straight sets before falling round two to sixth seed Tatjana Maria. Marino also lost in the first round of the doubles.
Team Canada will be back in the Davis Cup Qualifiers in 2026 after a comprehensive victory over Israel in their World Group I tie over the weekend. The Canadians won 4-0, winning eight of nine total sets including all six in singles play.
Gabriel Diallo and Liam Draxl got the hosts off to a strong start with a pair of singles wins on Friday. Draxl and Harper then clinched the tie with a comeback three-set win to start the day on Saturday in doubles. For good measure, Harper added another singles win in the final match of the tie.
The draw for the 2026 Davis Cup Qualifiers will take place after the Davis Cup Finals in November.
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What to Watch: Draxl Heads to Asia
As the Asian swing gets underway this week, it is a slow start for the Canadians.
Liam Draxl is the seventh seed in qualifying at the ATP 250 event Hangzhou, China. No other Canadians are entered, main draw or qualifying, in a main-tour event.
Under the Radar: Shaw’s Fairytale
All athletes want to go out on top and for Rob Shaw, that dream is a reality.
Canada’s highest-ranked wheelchair tennis player secured the 25th ITF singles title of his career on Saturday, winning the nation’s biggest ITF event, the Birmingham Classic in Toronto.
After securing a three-set victory over Ymanitu Silva of Brazil in the quad singles final, Shaw announced during the trophy ceremony that he will be retiring from international play. He may still compete later this year the Birmingham Nationals, Canada’s national wheelchair championships.
“Most athletes don’t get a fairytale ending to their careers but I felt like I got mine today. It was incredible to win my last ever match in front of the people that have been there throughout my entire career, and to do it at the tournament that means the most to me was the cherry on top,” said Shaw during his post-match speech. “My opponent did not make it easy on me but I found a way to grind out a win one last time. I’m sure the next few days and weeks will be emotional as I reflect back on my career, but I couldn’t be prouder of what I’ve been able to accomplish.”
Shaw finishes his international career with 54 ITF titles, 25 in singles and 29 in doubles, and a career-high ranking of No. 6 in the quad division.
Canada had a phenomenal week at the ITF J200 event on home soil, with the hosts getting at least one hand on all four trophies. Nadia Lagaev was the big winner, claiming the singles title and the doubles with American Isabelle DeLuccia.
Benjamin Azar won the boys singles in an all-Canadian final against Dani Szabo. Szabo secured a title of his own, winning the doubles with fellow Canadian Xavier Massotte.
Read also: Alcaraz and Sinner’s Dominant Rivalry by the Numbers
On the ITF Women’s Tour last week, Raphaelle Lacasse reached another doubles final, her second in a row, this time at a W15 event in Monastir, Tunisia with Nelise Verster of South Africa, but was edged out 10-6 in the match tiebreak by Alicia Dudeney and Megan Heuser.
Lacasse will get another shot this week at a W35 in Monastir. Ariana Arseneault and Alexandra Vagramov are also competing. While it’s a quiet week on the main tours, there are a number of Canadians competing this week at all levels of the tours, including ATP Challengers and WTA 125 events.
You can follow the Canadians in action every week here.
Feature Photo : Martin Sidorjak
