Some last-minute prep seems to be panning out for a group of Canadians at Wimbledon.
The third, and most iconic, Grand Slam event of the season is underway with all six Canadians in the singles main draw having completed their first-round matches. Four are through to the second round. The three who got into the draw without qualifying and won have a common thread between them: they all opted to squeeze in one final warm-up event last week.
So how is the grass major shaping up for the Canucks? Here’s what you need to know.
In Case You Missed It: Last-Minute Wins Ahead of the Championships
Playing the week before a Grand Slam event is always a bit of a gamble. You don’t want to burn yourself out, but getting those extra matches (and wins) in can do a lot for form and confidence.
In the case of Leylah Annie Fernandez, Félix Auger-Aliassime, and Gabriel Diallo, it did them some good as all three played last week, got at least two matches in, and went on to win their opening matches at Wimbledon.
Fernandez was competing at the WTA 500 event in Bad Homburg, where she avenged her loss at the Queen’s Club to Tatjana Maria with a straight-set win. She then lost a tight two-tiebreak second-round match to world No. 4 Jasmine Paolini.
Both Auger-Aliassime and Diallo were in Mallorca at the ATP 250 event and nearly ran into each other, falling one match short of an all-Canadian semi. They suffered the same fate in the end, a straight-set loss to eventual champion Tallon Griekspoor. Diallo’s loss to the Dutchman came in the quarter-finals, while Auger-Aliassime was bested by him in the semis.
Read also: ATP Power Rankings - Alcaraz Trying to Join Elite Wimbledon Company
Gabriela Dabrowski was back in action for the first time since before Roland-Garros as she and Erin Routliffe were competing in doubles in Bad Homburg. However, they lost in round one to Xinyu Jiang and Fang Hsien Wu.
What to Watch: Four Canadians Into Wimbledon Round Two
The first round at the All-England Club is already in the books and four of the six Canadians in the main draw were able to advance to the second round.
Day one of the event was a busy one for the Canucks with four in action. Félix Auger-Aliassime, Gabriel Diallo, and Leylah Annie Fernandez were all winners on that day, while Carson Branstine, who was the lone Canadian to qualify for Wimbledon, fell victim to a brutal draw and was bounced in round one by the top seed Aryna Sabalenka in what was Branstine’s first match in the main draw of a Grand Slam event.
On Tuesday, Canadian fans were given a Canada Day gift in the form of a lucky loser spot for Victoria Mboko and the 18-year-old took full advantage, upsetting 25th seed Magdalena Frech in her first main draw match at Wimbledon to reach the second round. Denis Shapovalov was not so lucky, though, as he was on the wrong end of an upset, falling to Mariano Navone.
Read also: WTA Power Rankings - Will There Be Another Wimbledon Surprise?
Auger-Aliassime, Diallo, and Fernandez, will all play their second-round matches on Wednesday. Diallo has the toughest test in the form of fifth seed Taylor Fritz. Auger-Aliassime is taking on the always tricky Jan-Lennard Struff with two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz lurking in the third round. Fernandez will clash with Laura Siegemund with Australian Open champion Madison Keys potentially waiting in the next round.
Mboko will look to reach the third round of a Grand Slam event for the second time in as many attempts when she takes on Hailey Baptiste on Thursday. A win could set a clash with seventh seed Mirra Andreeva.
Photo : Wimbledon Images via ITF
Doubles play also gets underway on Wednesday in SW19, with Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe kicking off their campaign. Diallo and Fernandez are also entered in their respective doubles draws.
CLICK HERE for the full Wimbledon draw breakdown.
Under the Radar: Abanda’s Back
Canada had just one finalist last week on the ITF Tours and it was a name Canadian fans had not seen in a final in quite a while.
28-year-old Francoise Abanda reached the doubles final at the ITF W35 event in Périgueux, France, alongside Frenchwoman Marie Mattel. It was just Abanda’s fourth tournament and first time playing doubles since January 2023. The Canadian had taken over two years off before returning to singles play in April this year.
Abanda and Mattel lost in the Périgueux final to Lucia Cortez Llorca and Alicia Herrero Linana in straight sets. It was Abanda’s first final of any kind since 2019 and first doubles final since 2015.
This week, the ITF Tour makes a stop in Laval, QC, for an M25 event to kick off a busy month of July in Canada. The draw is full of Canadians looking to scrounge points in the Road to the NBO.
CLICK HERE to read the Laval event preview.
Elsewhere on the pro circuit, there is a joint ATP Challenger/ITF W100 event taking place in Cary, North Carolina, with seven Canadians competing.
You can follow the Canadians in action every week here.
Feature Photo: Martin Sidorjak
