The 2026 grass-court swing has its first Canadian champion.
Following Gabriel Diallo’s title in ‘s-Hertogenbosch last season, Gabriela Dabrowski was the next Canuck to hoist silverware on the lawn as she and her partner Luisa Stefani cruised in the Lexus Eastbourne Open final on Sunday, defeating Czechs Jesika Maleckova and Miriam Skoch 6-1, 6-4.
This was Dabrowski and Stefani’s third title of the year, all coming on different surfaces (Dubai and Strasbourg earlier in the season).
After Saturday’s rainout caused the Eastbourne title match to be moved to Sunday, the extra day wait didn’t affect Dabrowski and Stefani as the pair came out strong. The Canadian-Brazilian duo broke in their opening return game and coupled it with a comfortable hold from 2-0, 40-love, to take an early edge in the set.
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Dabrowski and Stefani piled more pressure later in the opener at 1-4, 15-40. Maleckova and Skoch managed to save two but despite their efforts, the Czechs lost serve on deciding point before their opponents served out the set.
The start of the second was back-and-forth as both sides combined for four-straight breaks, still leaving the set level at 2-2.
In a similar scenario to the first, Dabrowski and Stefani held break point at 4-4, 40-all, with the opportunity to break and serve for the match. The Canadian’s deep return set up the chance for the Brazilian to then put away her volley, bringing the top seeds one-game away from the title.
With championship point at 5-4, 40-15, Stefani capped off the match with one of her side’s three aces on the day, securing the title in just over an hour.
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Dabrowski and Stefani’s focus shifts to Wimbledon, with the Canadian-Brazilian team arriving at the All-England Club as the No. 2 seeds. The pair will open the Championships against Alexa Guarachi of Chile and Alicja Rosolska of Poland.
Feature Photo: Martin Sidorjak
