Canadian Tennis Stars Gear Up for Roland-Garros: Shapovalov and Fernandez in Last-Minute Preparations

The journey to Roland-Garros has commenced with exciting Wimbledon qualifiers already in action, but prior to their Paris arrival, Canadian tennis talents Leylah Annie Fernandez and Denis Shapovalov are fine-tuning their skills in other tournaments.

In the recent competitions, most Canadian players bowed out early in the singles events, with Fernandez being the sole representative to advance in the women’s doubles category.

Unfortunately, Fernandez and Aranxta Rus faced a tough defeat against sixth-seeded Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko in the second round, cutting their Rome campaign short.

As the prestigious Roland-Garros draws near, both Shapovalov and Fernandez are utilizing this week to prepare themselves for the upcoming Grand Slam event in Paris.

Shapovalov is currently vying in Geneva, securing a victory in his opening match against Frederico Coria, setting up a faceoff with the No. 6 seed, Tallon Griekspoor. A potential match against world No. 1 Novak Djokovic awaits in the quarter-finals.

Fernandez initiated her journey at the WTA 500 event in Strasbourg with a comeback win over Anastasia Potapova and is scheduled to encounter fifth-seeded Liumdila Samsonova next.

Bianca Andreescu initially planned to join these players but withdrew, with expectations to participate in Roland-Garros next week.

Qualifying rounds for the upcoming Grand Slam event in Paris have begun, with four Canadian players still in the running to secure a spot in the main tournament.

Amongst the Canadians, Rebecca Marino has already clinched her opening match victory and is set to face Lucija Ciric Bagaric in the next round. Marina Stakusic and Carol Zhao are yet to commence their qualifying campaigns.

On the men’s side, Gabriel Diallo commenced his qualifying journey with a hard-fought win over Genaro Alberto Olivieri, and will be facing Marco Trungelliti next. Alexis Galarneau, unfortunately, succumbed in the opening qualifying round to Quentin Halys.

Recent successes in the ITF circuits have seen Canadians Kayla Cross and Thomas Venos claim doubles titles in separate events.

Cross, alongside American Jaeda Daniel, triumphed in the W35 Bethany Beach tournament, securing their title with a straight-set victory in the final match.

Venos, on the other hand, marked his third ITF wheelchair doubles title of the season at the 27th Tournoi Bulle Indoors in Switzerland, partnering with Andrew Penney and dominating their opponents to claim the title.

As the competitive spirit remains high, ITF events in Padova, Italy beckon for Venos and Mitch McIntyre, with Rob Shaw also returning to the tournament scene following his Japan Open victory.

Stay updated each week on the Canadians’ progress in the active tennis circuits!