Keegan Rice was on the losing end of the singles and doubles final at the M25 Laval, but the 20-year-old still impressed as he entered both draws unseeded.
Rice began his singles run with a first-round upset over No. 5 seed Dan Martin, conceding just four games against the fellow Canadian. The Regina-native once again cruised to make the quarters, where he stunned top-seed Liam Draxl 6-3, 6-4 to reach his first World Tennis (formerly ITF) singles semi-final.
The Virginia Cavalier then took out a third Top 5 seed, defeating No. 4 seed Jay Dylan Hara Friend of Japan in straights and securing his place in the final without dropping a set.
Rice faced another Japanese in the title match, taking a quick one-set lead against Kenta Miyoshi. Unfortunately for the Canadian, he was on the wrong side of a comeback as Miyoshi clinched the trophy with a 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory.
However, Rice’s maiden World Tennis final put him in the mix for the Road to the NBO wildcard. The Reginan is now on the heels of leader Duncan Chan, who finished in round two in Laval, leapfrogging Draxl and Martin thanks to the wins over his countrymen. Rice sits second in the standings with 38 points – 11 behind Chan – while Draxl moves one-spot up to third, tallying 18 points.
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The doubles draw was guaranteed a Canadian champion after Chan and Rice eliminated the last-remaining team without a Canuck, defeating the all-American duo of Henry Lieberman and Matthew Thomson in the quarters.
Chan and Rice dropped only four games against top-seeds Benjamin Thomas George and Jared Horwood in the semis before battling the Canadian-Japanese team of Alexander Rozin and Hara Friend for the title. Both sides split the first two sets in a tiebreaker then Rozin and Hara Friend took control of the decider, sealing the match 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 10-4. The win was Rozin’s maiden World Tennis title.
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Feature Photo: Sarah-Jade Champagne
