Rome may be a beloved city, but it was not kind to the Canadians in the first week of the 2026 Italian Open. Six Canadians entered the event and only one is still in the draw at the start of play on Monday.
Gabriela Dabrowski will carry the flag the rest of the way for the Great White North as she makes her 2026 clay-court debut in the Eternal City.
Here’s what you need to know.
In Case You Missed It: Tough Italian Trip for Canadian Singles Players
The 2026 Internazionali BNL d’Italia was one to forget for Canada’s singles players. Of the five who entered the main draw, only four made it to their opening match and only one managed to score a win.
Bianca Andreescu’s first-round victory over fellow former Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin in straight sets was the lone match win by a Canadian singles player at the 1000-level event. She lost in the second round to 12th seed Belinda Bencic.
Leylah Annie Fernandez was unable to back up her impressive run in Madrid, dropping her opening match in Rome to Rebeka Masarova in three sets. Victoria Mboko could not compete in Rome at all, pulling out the morning of her opening match with an illness.
Mariano Navone was the Canadians’ nemesis on the men’s side, taking out both Denis Shapovalov and Félix Auger-Aliassime back-to-back in the first two rounds, both in straight sets.
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What to Watch: Dabrowski Returns in Rome
All hope of a Canadian victory in Rome this week rests on the shoulders of Gabriela Dabrowski as she is the only Canuck left in the Eternal City. This event serves as her 2026 clay debut, as the Ottawan has not played since the Miami semifinals in March.
Dabrowski will kick off her doubles campaign on Monday alongside Luisa Stefani against Marie Bouzkova and Alexandra Panova. A win would set up a round-two clash with the American team of Coco Gauff and Caty McNally.
The fourth seeds are in the same quarter as the No. 7 tandem of Cristina Busca and Nicole Melichar-Martinez and are in the bottom half of the draw with second seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend.
Under the Radar: Boulais Strikes Again in Portugal
If you asked Justin Boulais what his favourite country to visit is, the logical answer in 2026 is Portugal. Last week, the Canadian picked up his third ITF M25 doubles title this year on the Atlantic side of the Iberian Peninsula, scoring a victory in Loulé with Tiago Pereira.
It was hardly smooth sailing for the Canadian-Portuguese duo, who also won together earlier this year in Vale do Lobo, as they needed to win three straight match tiebreaks to secure the title. They capped off the run in a thrilling final over Thomas Fancutt and Ajeet Rai 7-6(5), 6-7(3), 10-4.
With the win, Boulais is up to three ITF doubles titles this year, all won in Portugal, and seven overall in his career.
Sasha Vagramov also had a shot at a title over the weekend, reaching the W35 doubles final in Boca Raton with Dasha Ivanova, but they lost to the American team of Capucine Jauffret and Annika Penickova.
Read also: Jannik Sinner a Rome Title Away from Historic Career Golden Masters
This week, after going out early in Rome, Leylah Annie Fernandez will be getting her reps in at the loaded WTA 125 event in Paris, where she is the second seed. The Lavalloise will kick off her campaign against Anna Blinkova and would face Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round.
No. 5 Sara Bejlek is Fernandez’s first projected seeded opponent in the quarter-finals, with No. 3 Maya Joint leading the pack of potential semifinal opponents. Madison Keys is the top seed.
You can follow the Canadians in action every week here.
Feature Photo : Sarah-Jade Champagne
