Canada’s new stars have wasted little time in making their mark at the 2025 edition of Roland-Garros.
Two Canadians, Victoria Mboko and Gabriel Diallo, both made noise in the opening days of the year’s second slam, each picking up their first match win on the Parisian dirt. They are among five Canadians competing at the French Open.
Here’s what you need to know.
In Case You Missed It: Welcome to the big leagues, Vicky Mboko
The Victoria Mboko show arrived in Paris last week for qualifying and has already rolled into the second round of Roland-Garros. The teen was the only Canadian to come through qualifying, doing so without dropping a set. It was her first time qualifying for a Grand Slam main draw.
In her major debut, she defeated 2024 WTA Newcomer of the Year Lulu Sun in straight sets for her first professional match win in the main draw of a Grand Slam.
Seven other Canadians were competing in Roland-Garros qualifying, but Mboko was the only one to reach the final round, let alone the main draw.
Bianca Andreescu, Carson Branstine, and Marina Stakusic all were eliminated in the second round, while Rebecca Marino and Kayla Cross went out in round one on the women’s side. Liam Draxl and Alexis Galarneau were the only two men competing in qualies and both lost in the first round.
Read also: WTA Power Rankings - Challengers Aiming to Dethrone Swiatek at Roland-Garros
Félix Auger-Aliassime spent his pre-Roland-Garros week finally getting some match wins under his belt on clay. The Canadian, who had not won a match on the dirt yet in 2025, got to the semifinals of the ATP 500 event in Hamburg, his first time winning consecutive matches since February, beating Daniel Altmaier, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, and Alexandre Muller on his way to the final four. He was beaten in the semis by Andrey Rublev.
Gabriela Dabrowski also reached a semifinal in Roland-Garros warm-up week, getting to the final four of the WTA 500 in Strasbourg with Erin Routliffe, but the pair withdrew ahead of the match. Dabrowski subsequently withdrew from the French Open.
Leylah Annie Fernandez was less successful in her warm-up event. She was beaten in the first round of Strasbourg by Diane Parry.
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What to Watch: Impressive Openers by Canadians in Paris
Victoria Mboko kicked off the year’s second Grand Slam with a bang with her victory in the opening match of the opening day on Sunday at Roland-Garros, which set the stage for a strong second day by her compatriots.
Gabriel Diallo sent shockwaves through the men’s draw on Monday, upsetting No. 18 seed Francisco Cerundolo in straight sets. Cerundolo had been tapped by many pundits as a dark horse and a deep run was expected from the Argentine. The victory was Diallo’s first at Roland-Garros. He had made his Grand Slam debut in Paris a year ago.
Next up for Diallo will be either Marcos Giron or Tallon Griekspoor. He could have a rematch of his Madrid fourth-rounder with No. 16 seed Grigor Dimitrov in the third round. 2024 Roland-Garros runner-up Alexander Zverev is the Canadian’s projected fourth-round opponent.
Read also: ATP Power Rankings - Will Roland-Garros be Alcaraz’s Coronation?
The Montrealer is also the lone Canadian man playing doubles. He is partnering with Brit Jacob Fearnley.
Denis Shapovalov also got off to a flying start on Monday, easily dismissing Pedro Martinez. He will face either qualifier Filip Misolic or Yunchaokete Bu in the second round. Novak Djokovic looms in round three.
Félix Auger-Aliassime is the only Canadian yet to play their opening singles match. He has a tricky draw, starting with Matteo Arnaldi in round one. A win would see him meet either Marin Cilic or Hamburg champion Flavio Cobolli in round two before potentially meeting Zverev in the third round.
Leylah Annie Fernandez was the first Canadian eliminated, falling in her first-round match on Sunday against Olga Danilovic. She is also entered in doubles with Yulia Putintseva. Fernandez is the only Canadian woman in doubles after Gabriela Dabrowski withdrew.
Under the Radar:
Canada went titleless last week on the ITF Tour, but it was a near thing. Dasha Plekhanova made deep runs in both singles and doubles at a W35 event in Orlando, losing in the doubles final with Swiss Jenny Duerst against top seeds Allura and Maribella Zamarripa.
Plekhanova lost to her doubles partner in the singles semifinals, who was the top seed and went on to win the title.
Thomas Venos nearly defended his title at the ITF Wheelchair event in Plock, Poland, reaching the final with Joshua Johns. However, they were beaten by the local favourites Jakub Mukala and Kamil Fabisiak in straight sets.
Read also: Wheelchair Update - Shaw Gearing up for Roland-Garros
While most of the tennis world remains focused on the clay in Paris, grass is starting to sneak into the schedule. Rebecca Marino is competing this week at a WTA 125 event on the lawns of Birmingham.
You can follow the Canadians in action every week here.
Feature Photo : Martin Sidorjak
