Canadians were all over the map this past week.
Victoria Mboko’s rise continued thanks to a second WTA 1000 final in Doha, while Félix Auger-Aliassime was back in the Rotterdam title match for the first time since 2022. Denis Shapovalov also was at his best in his title defence in Dallas.
Here’s what you need to know.
In Case You Missed It: Mboko Achieves Milestone with Doha Final
The Mboko show hit a new milestone. One year ago, the Burlingtonian was ranked outside the Top 200, now, she sits at No. 10 following a trip to the Qatar TotalEnergies Open final in her tournament debut.
After losing out in the Adelaide final, Mboko captured her revenge against world No. 7 Mirra Andreeva in round three in Doha. Mboko managed to save match point with Andreeva serving for the match in the third set, but the Canadian No. 1’s power led her to victory in the decisive tiebreaker. Mboko then met Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina in the quarters, breaking the big-serving Kazakhstani six times for her second win in four meetings against Rybakina.
The 19-year-old’s place in the Top 10 was secured after cruising by Jelena Ostapenko to reach the Doha title match, but she couldn’t solve world No. 11 Karolina Muchova for a spot in the winner’s circle.
Mboko withdrew from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships due to a right-elbow injury, leaving Leylah Annie Fernandez as the lone Canadian entering the singles draw of the event.
Read also: Muchova Captures Maiden WTA 1000 Title
The Lavalloise was back to winning ways against No. 13 seed Liudmila Samsonova, needing nearly three hours for her second victory of the year. Fernandez was broken late in the opener to go a set down but, at 5-6 in the second, the Canadian put the pressure on Samsonova and she forced the loss of serve to even the contest. Fernandez carried her strong returning over to the decisive set as she scored back-to-back breaks to soon hold a comfortable 5-0 lead. Samsonova nearly mounted a comeback, winning three games on the bounce, but the Canadian No. 2 managed to serve out the match on her next attempt at 5-3.
Fernandez was then out for revenge in the next round against Janice Tjen, after the Indonesian eliminated her from this year’s Australian Open. Each player was broken three times in the opening set before Tjen came out the better in the tight tiebreaker. The Indonesian then conceded just one point on her first delivery in the second, breaking in the fifth game to see out the rest of the match.
On the men’s side, both Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov were in memorable places.
Auger-Aliassime was perfect en route to his return to the ABN AMRO Open final, defeating home favourite Tallon Griekspoor and world No. 10 Alexander Bublik in straights. The Montrealer competed in the Rotterdam title match for the first time since he won his maiden ATP trophy there four years ago, but Alex de Minaur spoiled the sentiment as the world No. 6 won in straight sets.
Shapovalov looked to defend his maiden ATP 500 title at the Nexo Dallas Open. The Richmond Hillian impressed by rallying from a set down to beat third-seed Alejandro Davidovich-Fokina in the quarters. The Canadian No. 2 then played in an epic against Ben Shelton in the final four, but Shapovalov lost out in a third-set tiebreaker to the eventual champion.
What to Watch: Diallo Has Chance to Play Spoiler in Delray Beach
Gabriel Diallo won’t back down from a strong and American-heavy top half of the draw at the Delray Beach Open. The Canadian No. 3 opens the event against lucky-loser Adam Walton of Australia on Tuesday. If Diallo is victorious, he could meet American No. 4 Tommy Paul in round two before a potential clash against top-seed Taylor Fritz in the quarters.
Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani are one win away from the semis in Dubai. In round one, the fifth seeds defeated Aussies Kimberly Birrell and Maya Joint in straights before needing three sets against Marie Bouzkova and Tjen in the second round but ultimately dominating in the match tiebreak to win 6-1, 3-6, 10-3.
Read also: Way Too Early Look at 2028 Olympic Tennis
The Canadian-Brazilian duo face Jessica Pegula and Giuliana Olmos in the quarters on Thursday. There is potential that Dabrowski and Stefani will have to go through Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic in the final four once again. The teams have already met twice this year, with Danilina and Krunic winning in the semifinals of the Australian Open and Doha.
Under the Radar: Canadians Sweep at MT200 Calgary (So Far)
Five events have been settled at the Yonex Calgary ITF Masters Championship, and all five had Canadian champions.
David Mackenzie upset second-seed Bernard Auger in the 70+ men’s singles final, winning 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-4. Mackenzie doubled up with a 70+ men’s doubles title as he and Terry Tuharsky dropped just three games in their two round-robin matches to top the group.
Janet Penning was also champion of her group in 70+ women's singles, winning all three of her matches in straight sets.
The other two titles were both handed out in doubles. Geoffrey Kirbyson and Jeffrey Spiers won the 40+ men’s crown, while top-seeds Allan Fowler and Marcel Joubert were victorious via walkover in the 60+ men’s event.
Canadian success spilled over into junior events as well, with Andrea Cabio and American Ireland O’Brien winning the doubles title at the J300 Punta Cana. The duo took down top-seeds Sofiia Bielinska and Ophelia Korpanec Davies in straight sets to hoist the trophy.
You can follow the Canadians in action every week here.
Feature Photo: Martin Sidorjak
