Rob Shaw and Gabriela Dabrowski were each one match away from representing Canada in the Australian Open’s championship weekend but were ousted in Thursday’s semifinals.
One of Canadian wheelchair tennis’ most decorated players, Shaw officially hangs up his racket following his quads doubles semifinal loss at the Australian Open, which he announced would be his final tournament.
Shaw, alongside Brazilian Ymanitu Silva, fell to Guy Sasson and Niels Vink 6-4, 6-3, managing to break the top seeds five times in the match but were put under most of the pressure, saving just three of the 11 break points.
The Canadian-Brazilian duo found themselves down a break twice through the opening eight games but were able to respond on each occasion, trailing as much as 2-4 before clinching back-to-back games to even the set a four apiece.
However, Shaw and Silva couldn’t consolidate their eighth-game break with a hold as they were broken back, allowing Sasson and Vink to serve for the opener. The Canadian-Brazilian team held an opportunity to extend the set at 5-4, 30-40, but the No. 1 seeds fired a pair of winners to seal the first.
In the second, Shaw and Silva were faced with a larger deficit after the duo was broken in two-straight service games to trail 0-3.
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From that point on, neither side held serve for the remainder of the match as Sasson and Vink earned the decisive break at 3-5 to reach their fourth-straight Grand Slam final as a team.
Shaw’s career comes to an end after two Paralympic appearances, gold and silver medals at the Para Pan American Games, and 54 ITF titles. The North Bay-native now joins Tennis Canada part-time as a Wheelchair Tennis High Performance Consultant, while working full-time at Spinal Cord Injury BC.
Dabrowski, Stefani’s Reunion Ends in Australian Open Semis
Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani reunited for the first time since 2023 Roland-Garros and the duo didn’t need much time to go on a deep run at a major.
The No. 5 seeds didn’t drop a set through their first four matches at the Australian Open, taking down No. 3 seeds Jelena Ostapenko and Su-Wei Hsieh in the quarter-finals, but their reunion was spoiled by Anna Danilina and Aleksandra Krunic in a 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4 semifinal loss.
Danilina and Krunic nearly wrapped up the opening set in around half an hour after racing out to a 5-2 lead. However, Dabrowski and Stefani saved three set points across the next two games, securing a love hold in the tenth game to extend the set and draw level at 5-5.
The Canadian-Brazilian duo nearly had the chance to serve for the opener at 5-5, 15-40, but the No. 7 seeds managed to hold as the set was headed to a tiebreak.
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Dabrowski and Stefani had some trouble on their delivery, dropping their first three service points to fall in a 1-5 hole. The Kazakhstani-Serb team served out the tiebreaker to end Dabrowski and Stefani’s perfect run in Melbourne.
The fifth seeds were unfazed despite dropping their first set of the competition. With Danilina and Krunic serving at 3-4 in the second, Dabrowski and Stefani secured back-to-back breaks to level the match and take a vital lead to begin the third, up 2-0 following a comfortable hold.
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However, at 2-3, Danilina and Krunic responded with two-straight breaks of their own and had their place in the final well within reach at 5-3, while serving for the match. Dabrowski and Stefani broke back to stay alive, but the seventh seeds later held triple match point in the tenth game, needing just one attempt to book their ticket into Friday’s title match.
The Davis Cup returns to Canada in February as Canada hosts Brazil in the Qualifiers First Round in Vancouver, Feb. 6-7 at UBC's Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. Tickets are on sale. Get yours now!
Feature Photo: Martin Sidorjak
