Many of the Canadians competing in Indian Wells over the next two weeks should be feeling really good about their chances.
The month of February was a great one for the Canucks, with big titles, deep runs, and ranking breakthroughs all over the place. Now they will look to carry that good form into one of the biggest events on the calendar.
Here’s what you need to know.
In Case You Missed It: Auger-Aliassime Goes Deep Again
Félix Auger-Aliassime's consistency carried over outdoors last week as the Canadian continued his impressive run of form at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Fresh off back-to-back finals indoors, the Montrealer made a tricky draw look fairly easy through the early stages, beating Zhizhen Zhang, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, and Jiri Lehecka all in straight sets on his way to the semifinals. There, though, he was once again stumped by nemesis Daniil Medvedev.
Denis Shapovalov was also competing in Dubai but lost in the first round to former National Bank Open champion Pablo Carreno Busta.
Bianca Andreescu competed in her first WTA Tour event of the season last week in Austin, having spent the first two months on tour competing at ITF events. She lost her opening match to Dalma Galfi in three tight sets.
Read also: Andreescu has impressively built the foundation for a 2026 resurgence
The WTA 500 event in Merida, Mexico, saw a few other Canadians make their tour-level debuts in 2026, with both Cadence Brace and Marina Stakusic competing in the main draw. Stakusic caused an upset in round one, taking out fifth seed Dayana Yastremska. She bowed out in round to the eventual champion Cristina Busca.
Brace came through qualifying with a pair of straight-set wins to reach her first tour-level main draw since Granby in 2022. She was beaten in the first round of Merida by Zeynep Sonmez.
Click here for more news from the ATP and WTA Tours.
What to Watch: Canadians Bringing Good Form to Tennis Paradise
The tours return to the Coachella Valley this week as the 2026 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells gets underway. Qualifying action has already begun, with main-draw play beginning on Wednesday.
At the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the year, Félix Auger-Aliassime leads the Canadian contingent. He will be seeded ninth and as a seed, will have a first-round bye. World Nos. 38 and 39 Gabriel Diallo and Denis Shapovalov join Auger-Aliassime in the main draw, although they will not be seeded.
Victoria Mboko will enter her first tournament as a Top 10 player in Indian Wells, where she will be seeded 10th. She is joined in the main draw by Leylah Annie Fernandez, who will be seeded 27th. Bianca Andreescu will also be competing in the desert. The 2019 champion received a wild card.
Three Canadians are competing in qualifying. Marina Stakusic is already off and running, having upset second seed Viktorija Golubic in straight sets in the first round. She will face either Rebeka Masarova or Mananchaya Sawangkaew for a spot in the main draw.
Read also: Novak Djokovic’s Three-Year Sunshine Double Dominance
Liam Draxl and Alexis Galarneau are competing in qualifying on the men’s side. Draxl plays No. 2 seed Ignacio Buse in the first round, while Galarneau faces No. 7 Luca van Assche.
In doubles, Gabriela Dabrowski now has her eyes set on the world No. 1 ranking. The current doubles world No. 2 will be looking to score a second-straight WTA 1000 title with Luisa Stefani after the pair’s victory in Dubai. They have reached at least the semifinals of every tournament they have played so far in 2026.
Auger-Aliassime will be playing doubles in Indian Wells with recent Delray Beach champion Sebastian Korda, while Diallo is teaming up with Evan King.
The Indian Wells draw will be made on Monday at 3:00 pm local, 6:00 pm EST.
Under the Radar: Boulais on the Board
Justin Boulais cruised to his first title of the year in Vale do Lobo, Portugal, winning the M25 doubles event with Tiago Pereira. The pair were the top seeds and showed why throughout the week. They did not lose a set on their way to the title, never even losing more than seven games in a match.
It is the fifth ITF doubles title of Boulais’ career.
The regularly-scheduled professional calendar of events in Canada gets underway this week with a pair of tournaments in Quebec. The women are competing at a W15 event in Trois-Rivieres, while the men are getting into it at a M15 in Sherbrooke. There are large Canadian contingents competing in both events.
Read also: Victoria Mboko’s WTA Top 10 Surge by the Numbers
Both events are part of the 2026 Road to the NBO, where the Canadian player who earns the most points at Canadian professional events will earn a wildcard into the 2026 National Bank Open. Sherbrooke is the fourth event in the men’s race, currently led by Duncan Chan, while Trois-Rivieres is event No. 5 for the women. Katherine Sebov has a narrow lead on the women’s side.
Come back to tenniscanada.com on Tuesday for a full preview of the two events.
Team Canada is in action this week in Lima, Peru, at the BNP Paribas World Team Cup Americas Qualification wheelchair event. Thomas Venos, Barry Henderson, Shawn Courchesne, and Lachlan Sandford are representing Canada.
CLICK HERE for the wheelchair World Team Cup qualifying preview.
You can follow the Canadians in action every week here.
Feature Photo : Martin Sidorjak
