While the Shanghai Masters draw was full of upsets in the opening days, a couple of Canadians were able to slip through largely unscathed. And now as the ATP’s Asian Swing approaches its climax, Félix Auger-Aliassime and Gabriel Diallo are right there looking to take advantage of the chaos around them.
Here’s what you need to know.
In Case You Missed It: Auger-Aliassime Picks Up Where He Left Off
Having not played since his US Open semifinal run, Félix Auger-Aliassime did not miss a beat in his return to action in the early rounds of the Masters 1000 event in Shanghai. The Canadian did not drop a set on his way to the fourth round, securing wins over Alejandro Tabilo and Jesper de Jong.
Auger-Aliassime had gone over 14 months without getting past the third round of a “Big” event from May 2024 to August 2025, but he has now reached at least the fourth round at three in a row.
Gabriel Diallo is joining his compatriot in the fourth round in Shanghai. He defeated Benjamin Bonzi in his opening match and then had some luck in round three, advancing when David Goffin, who had upset sixth seed Ben Shelton in the previous round, retired midway through the opening set.
Denis Shapovalov was unable to make it three Canadians in the last sixteen though. Like his compatriots, he won his opening match over Christopher O’Connell in straight sets but had the toughest round three clash in the form of 15th seed Jiri Lehecka. The Czech won in straight sets.
All three Canadians were seeded and had first-round byes in Shanghai.
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What to Watch: Final WTA 1000 On Tap
The WTA season is nearing its conclusion with the last WTA 1000 event on the calendar taking place this week in Wuhan.
It was a tough draw for the Canadians as both in the singles draw drew seeds in the first round.
Leylah Annie Fernandez has a blockbuster in her opening match against No. 11 Naomi Osaka. If she pulls the upset, things won’t get much easier as she would face either Beijing runner-up Linda Noskova or Yulia Putintseva. Her reward for reaching round three would likely be a clash with eighth seed Elena Rybakina.
Victoria Mboko’s campaign came to an early end. She was drawn against Ekaterina Alexandrova, the highest-seeded player in the draw without a bye, and was beaten in straight sets on Monday.
Both Canadian women are also competing in doubles. Fernandez is taking Gabriela Dabrowski’s spot alongside Erin Routliffe as the Ottawan is skipping Wuhan. Fernandez and Routliffe play Irina Khromcheva and Aldila Sutjiadi in the first round for the right to play third seeds Su-Wei Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko.
Read also: Mboko Finding Comfort Amidst Life-Changing Success Thanks to Coaching Team
Mboko is teaming up with fellow youngster Maya Joint. They are taking on Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls in the first round.
Bianca Andreescu, who lost in singles qualifying, is paired up with Yue Yuan in the doubles main draw. They play Qianhui Tang and Xiyu Wang in the first round with top seeds Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini looming in round two.
Back over in Shanghai, with only one of the top five seeds reaching the fourth round, the draw is opening up a bit for the Canadians.
Auger-Aliassime has a tricky matchup next as he takes on No. 8 seed Lorenzo Musetti. The Italian narrowly leads their head-to-head 4-3 thanks to a win earlier this year in Miami in three sets. If the Canadian pulls it out, he would face either No. 15 seed Jiri Lehecka or Arthur Rinderknech in the quarter-finals. The other seeds left in his half of the draw, both possible semifinal opponents, are No. 7 Alex de Minaur and No. 16 Daniil Medvedev.
Diallo will renew his rivalry with Zizou Bergs in the fourth round. The Canadian has won both of their previous meetings, both in straight sets in 2025 including the final of the Libema Open where the Canadian scored his first ATP Tour title. A win could set up a clash with the highest-ranked player left in the draw, world No. 5 and four-time Shanghai champion Novak Djokovic, in the quarter-finals.
Under the Radar:
Canada’s best results on the ITF Tours last week came in juniors, where Antoine Genereux doubled-up at a J60 event in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, winning the boy’s singles title and the doubles with compatriot Andy Tchinda Kepche. Kayla Lorrimer was also a champion on the junior tour, winning the girls doubles at a J100 in Accra, Ghana.
On the Masters circuit, Da Hong Wong won the 55+ mixed doubles at a MT200 in Boading, China.
In the world of Beach Tennis, Veronique Parke-Bedard was the runner-up in the women’s doubles at a BT50 event, the 3 Mermaids’ Cup #3, in Pattaya, Thailand.
This week, a quartet of Canadian women are competing at the ITF W100 event in Edmond, Oklahoma: Marina Stakusic, Cadence Brace, Kayla Cross, and Katherine Sebov. The ITF Wheelchair Tour is also back in Canada for the ITF Futures Bedford in Bedford, NS.
You can follow the Canadians in action every week here.
Feature Photo : Martin Sidorjak
