Believe it or not, it had been nearly two years since Leylah Annie Fernandez reached the quarter-finals of a “Big” (1000 or Grand Slam) singles draw. That was until the 2026 Mutua Madrid Open rolled around.
Fernandez has been a bright spot at the first combined 1000-level event on clay this year, while many others struggled with the tricky conditions in the Spanish capital.
Here’s what you need to know.
In Case You Missed It: Fernandez Finally Back at a Big Event
The last time Leylah Annie Fernandez reached the quarter-finals at a WTA 1000 event was back in the summer of 2024, when she got to the last eight in Cincinnati. 20 months later, she is back in the quarters of a big event after a series of impressive victories at the Mutua Madrid Open.
Seeded 24th, the Lavalloise had a first-round bye then cruised past Julia Grabher in her opening match. The Canadian was the underdog in round three against 15th-seeded teen sensation Iva Jovic, but Fernandez fought back from a set down to reach the fourth round.
She then caught a bit of a break, meeting up with Ann Li rather than four-time Roland-Garros champion Iga Swiatek, who had retired against Li in the previous round. Fernandez took full advantage of the opening, dispatching Li in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals.
Félix Auger-Aliassime was the only Canadian man to pick up a win in Madrid. Fresh off completing his Masters 1000 quarter-final set in Monte-Carlo, the Montrealer opened his campaign in the Spanish capital with a straight-set win over qualifier Vilius Gaubas. However, he was upset in round three by rising Belgian star Alexander Blockx.
In total, there were five Canadians competing in Madrid, all of them seeded in singles. However, the other three all lost their opening matches.
Victoria Mboko’s Madrid debut did not go according to plan, as she was stunned in the second round (after a bye) by Caty McNally in straight sets. Not only was it her first opening-match loss at a regular tour event since October 2025, it was the first regular tournament (excluding the United Cup) in 2026 where Mboko did not win at least three matches.
Mboko was also the lone Canadian competing in doubles. She lost in the first round alongside Jovic to Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva.
Denis Shapovalov and Gabriel Diallo were seeded 31st and 32nd respectively in the men’s singles draws, but both dropped their opening matches. Shapovalov was beaten by qualifier Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, while Diallo retired in the second set of his match with Elmer Moller.
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What to Watch: Another Breakthrough Coming for Fernandez?
Leylah Annie Fernandez now has her eyes on ending an even longer drought in Madrid. The Canadian has not reached a Big semifinal since her Cinderella run to the US Open final in 2021.
In order to reach the final four for the first time since that magical fortnight in New York, she will have to upset world No. 9 Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-finals. If Fernandez gets through, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will likely be waiting in the semis, assuming the top seed defeats 30th seed Hailey Baptiste.
Fernandez is the only Canadian left in Madrid this week.
Under the Radar: Canadian Hat Trick
After a few quieter weeks, the Canadians broke out in a big way over the weekend with titles on the ATP Challenger, ITF, and wheelchair circuits.
Cleeve Harper continued his strong 2026 season with a third ATP Challenger doubles title already this year alongside Brit David Stevenson. A week after falling in the final of the Tallahassee Challenger in Florida, the pair secured the trophy up in Savannah, Georgia, beating Luis David Martinez and Cristian Rodriguez in straight sets in the final.
The Canadian-British duo were the top seeds and only dropped one set on their way to the title, that being the first set of their epic semi against third seeds George Goldhoff and Patrick Harper, which the top seeds eventually won 6-7(6), 7-6(2), 10-6. It is the 14th doubles title and ninth Challenger crown of the Calgarian’s career.
18-year-old Volodymyr Gurenko won his first professional title over the weekend, claiming the ITF M15 doubles crown in Quito, Ecuador, with American Ryan Dickerson. The pair were unseeded but came through a couple of match tiebreaks, including an epic 15-13 in the first round, to reach the final. There, they stunned the top seeds Breno Braga and Victor Pagotto of Brazil in straight sets to lift the trophy.
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Gurenko, a former junior world No. 92 and 12-time titlist (six each in singles and doubles) on the ITF junior tour, only began playing professional events on a regular basis last fall, although he played his first professional match on the ITF circuit in Saint-Augustin, QC, in October 2023. He only made his pro debut in doubles last October in Trois-Rivières.
Shawn Courchesne went back-to-back at the Canadian ITF Wheelchair events last week, following up his title in Markham, ON, with another quad singles title in Windsor, ON. It was also a successful title defence for the 33-year-old.
Canada was guaranteed a winner in that division as all four competitors were Canadian, but Courchesne cruised through the round-robin event. He lost a mere six games in his three matches, delivering three bagel sets, en route to his seventh quad singles title on the ITF Tour. All of the wins have been since June 2025 (Windsor was played in July last year).
Thoms Venos was the runner-up in Windsor in both men’s singles and doubles, while Anne-Marie Dolinar came second in the women’s singles.
This week, Bianca Andreescu is back in action at the WTA 125 event in Saint-Malo, France.
You can follow the Canadians in action every week here.
Feature Photo : Martin Sidorjak
