Part one of the 2026 Sunshine Double saw a number of strong performances by the Canadians in Indian Wells. The highlight was Gabriela Dabrowski, who for the second 1000-level event in a row, found herself playing for a title.
Throw in a couple of quarter-finals from Victoria Mboko, and it was a solid trip to Tennis Paradise for the Canucks.
Here’s what you need to know.
In Case You Missed It: Dabrowski’s Strong Start to 2026 Continues
Gabriela Dabrowski had a chance to lift a trophy at a second 1000-level event in a row over the weekend, albeit a very different one from the one she won last month in Dubai. The BNP Paribas Open, the first combined 1000-level event of the year, is the only one to hold a mixed doubles event and the Ottawan found herself just a few points away from that title on Sunday with Briton Lloyd Glasspool.
The top-seeded pair advanced to the semis without dropping a set but then had to dig deep in the final four, edging out Maria Sakkari and Stefanos Tsitsipas 13-11 in the match tiebreak to reach the final. Dabrowski and Glasspool ultimately came up just short of the title, losing 10-7 in the match tiebreak in the final to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli.
There was a possibility of an all-Canadian semifinal in the women’s doubles, but both Dabrowski and Victoria Mboko lost in the quarter-finals. Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani were edged out 10-8 in the match tiebreak in their clash with seventh seeds Cristina Busca and Nicole Melichar-Martinez, while Mboko and fellow teen star Mirra Andreeva went down to the fifth seeds Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic in straight sets.
Mboko’s singles run also came to an end in the quarter-finals. She got to the last eight by dismantling world No. 6 Amanda Anisimova in the fourth round but was edged out in two tight sets by world No. 1 and eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka in the quarters.
Just by reaching the quarter-finals in her Indian Wells debut, Mboko is now up to No. 9 in the singles rankings, a new career-high.
Félix Auger-Aliassime was the only Canadian man to reach week two in Tennis Paradise, but he was ousted in the fourth round at the hands of 30th seed Arthur Fils. All other Canadians were eliminated in the first week of the event.
Click here for more news from the ATP and WTA Tours.
What to Watch: From the Desert to the Seaside
Part two of the Sunshine Double gets underway this week in Miami.
Five Canadians received direct entry to the Miami Open main draw. Victoria Mboko and Leylah Annie Fernandez will both be seeded and will have first-round byes on the women’s side. Félix Auger-Aliassime is the only seeded Canuck in the men’s singles, while Denis Shapovalov and Gabriel Diallo will both have to play first-round matches.
Read also: WTA Power Rankings - Sabalenka, Rybakina Dueling for Supremacy at Sunshine Double
Mboko is the 10th seed and will face either former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin or Anna Blinkova after her bye. Her first potential seeded opponent is No. 22 Anna Kalinskaya, who Mboko beat at the same stage of Indian Wells. The Canadian is on a collision course with budding teen rival Mirra Andreeva in the fourth round.
Fernandez, the 26th seed, will kick off her campaign against either Emiliana Arango or Oksana Selekhmeteva, with fifth seed Jessica Pegula likely waiting in the third round.
All three Canadian men were dealt tough draws, none more challenging than Shapovalov's. The former Miami semifinalist opens against the ever-tricky Botic van de Zandschulp, with his reward for a win being No. 6 seed Taylor Fritz. If he caused that upset, he would likely earn a third-round clash with former Indian Wells champion Jack Draper.
Read also: ATP Power Rankings
Auger-Aliassime, the seventh seed, will face either a qualifier or Marton Fucsovics in his opening match. His first potential seeded opponent is No. 26 Arthur Rinderknech in round three, who won their most-recent clash in Shanghai, with defending champion Jakub Mensik or Frances Tiafoe potentially looming in round four. The Canadian No. 1 is in the bottom quarter with last week's Indian Wells champion Jannik Sinner.
Diallo opens against wildcard Yibing Wu and could play No. 31 seed Ugo Humbert in the second round. A win would likely set up a clash with No. 8 Ben Shelton.
Bianca Andreescu, Marina Stakusic, and Liam Draxl are all competing in Miami qualifying. Stakusic successfully qualified for Indian Wells, while Andreescu had a wild card. All three play their first-round qualifying matches on Monday.
Under the Radar: Harper Sneaks Out Title, Abanda Ends Drought
Cleeve Harper saved his best for last in practically every match last week at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, France. Canada’s top-ranked men’s doubles player won three match tiebreaks on his way to his second Challenger title of 2026 with Brit David Stevenson.
The top-seeded pair had to battle throughout the week. They escaped their first-round match 10-5 in the match tiebreak and then had to mount back-to-back comebacks in the semis and final. Harper and Davidson lost the first set only to fight back and win 10-8 in a match tiebreak in both rounds, with the latter securing them the title over third seeds Karol Drzewiecki and Szymon Walkow.
It is the eighth ATP Challenger title of Harper’s career. He has now won multiple challenger titles for three consecutive years.
Francoise Abanda lifted her first professional trophy in nearly a decade last week, winning the doubles title at the ITF W15 event in Gonesse, France. She and French partner Lucie Nguyen Tan only dropped one set on their way to the title, capping off the run with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Oceane Babel and Amelie Justine Hejtmanek.
Abanda also reached the singles final as a qualifier but lost to another qualifier, Maria Garcia Cid, in the title match. The Canadian defeated the No. 1 seed in the first round of both singles and doubles.
The doubles title was her first professional title in any discipline since winning the singles title at a W25 event in the United States back in October 2016.
Photo : @lu.nguyentan
Bianca Andreescu looked recovered from the blisters that affected her in the first round of Indian Wells a week prior, reaching the final of the WTA 125 event in Austin, Texas. The former US Open champion had to battle, needing three sets in three of her four matches just to reach the final, including a win over fellow former Top 10 player Paula Badosa in the semis.
Read also: Andreescu has impressively built the foundation for a 2026 resurgence
The final against Lanlana Tararudee also went this distance, but this time Andreesca was unable to dig it out, falling 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. It was Andreescu’s third final of the season, having won two ITF titles back in February. At the 125 level, it was her biggest final since reaching the WTA 250 Rosmalen Open final in June 2024.
On home soil, Alexandra Vagramov doubled up, backing up her doubles win in Trois-Rivières with another in Victoriaville. She also reached the singles final, but lost to her doubles partner, Esther Adeshina of Great Britain. Vagramov was the lone Canadian winner at the Canadian ITF events last week as the men were shut out in Montreal.
CLICK HERE for the full ITF Victoriaville and Montreal recaps.
You can follow the Canadians in action every week here.
Feature Photo : Sarah-Jade Champagne
