There might be 5 Canadians competing within the singles draw of the Australian Open when the season’s first main kicks off this weekend after Rebecca Marino booked her spot on Friday in Melbourne.
Marino is the one Canadian to get by way of qualifying and joins Leylah Annie Fernandez within the girls’s singles draw. Felix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov, and Milos Raonic are competing within the males’s singles.
5 Canadians competed in qualifying on the Australian Open, however solely Marino was in a position to win all three of her matches and get into the principle draw. Her remaining victory got here on the expense of countrywoman Katherine Sebov, who retired down 2-0 of their third-round all-Canadian qualifying conflict.
Within the first two rounds, Marino dispatched Ya Yi Yang in straight units earlier than getting back from a set right down to defeat twenty third seed Jessika Ponchet to set the conflict with Sebov. The Vancouverite might be making her fourth consecutive look in the principle draw of the Australian Open. In three of these 4 years, she reached the principle draw through qualifying.
Sebov was seeking to qualify for the Australian Open for the second consecutive yr. In 2023, she certified for her first Grand Slam fundamental attract Melbourne. However after wins over ninth seed Emiliana Arango and Belgium’s Ysaline Bonaventure, the Canadian needed to retire early towards Marino with a wrist damage.
Two different Canadian girls had been competing in qualifying.
Carol Zhao received her opener towards Valeria Savinykh however was overwhelmed in spherical two by second seed Katie Volynets. Stacey Fung misplaced within the first spherical to Julia Riera. Zhao and Fung had been in the identical part and, like Marino and Sebov, would have met within the remaining spherical of qualifying.
Gabriel Diallo was the lone Canadian man competing in qualifying and got here agonizingly near getting into his first Grand Slam fundamental draw, however finally misplaced his remaining match from a set as much as former world No. 7 David Goffin.
It was Diallo’s first time within the remaining spherical of qualifying at a serious. His finest earlier end result was the second spherical at Wimbledon final yr. He beat Pablo Llamas Ruiz within the first spherical in Melbourne and narrowly edged Pierre-Hugues Herbert 10-8 within the third set tiebreak of their second-round conflict, however got here up quick towards Goffin within the remaining spherical 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Australian Open Draw Unkind to Canadians
The draw gods didn’t shine on the 5 Canadians in the principle draw, with two of them having to face High 10 opponents within the opening spherical.
Rebecca Marino’s reward for coming by way of qualifying is a date with No. 5 seed Jessica Pegula. It is going to be a primary assembly between the 2.
Learn additionally: Australian Open Ladies’s Energy Rankings
If Marino had been to drag the large upset, her subsequent seeded opponent may very well be No. 29 Lin Zhu in spherical three. The pair confronted 4 instances in 2023 with Lin profitable three. The in-form Qinwen Zheng looms within the fourth spherical adopted by No. 3 seed Elena Rybakina within the quarter-finals. Nonetheless, Marino has by no means made it previous the second spherical of the Australian Open.
On the lads’s facet, Milos Raonic will face a High 10 opponent within the first spherical for the second main in a row as he takes on the in-form native favorite Alex de Minaur in his opening match. Raonic needed to face Stefanos Tsitsipas within the first spherical of the US Open final summer season.
It has been over six years since Raonic and de Minaur met on tour when the speedy Aussie beat the highly effective Canadian in straight units in Brisbane. The matchup is a dramatic distinction of kinds pitting Raonic’s large serve and mighty groundstrokes towards the speedy courtroom protection and wonderful defence of the Demon, who might be making his High 10 debut at his dwelling Slam after a run on the United Cup the place he scored three High 10 wins, together with one over No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
Learn additionally: Australian Open Males’s Energy Rankings
Additionally in that part of the draw are No. 18 seed Nicolas Jarry, a possible third-round opponent for Raonic, and No. 5 Andrey Rublev, who could be his fourth-round opponent. No. 4 seed Jannik Sinner is the very best seed in that quarter. Traditionally the Australian Open has been Raonic’s most constant main, having reached the quarter-finals 5 instances and the semifinals as soon as in 2016.
Felix Auger-Aliassime has a tricky first-round match towards 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem. The previous world No. 3 defeated the Canadian within the fourth spherical throughout that title run in New York in straight units, their lone earlier assembly.
Each gamers are removed from their peak, as Thiem has struggled to refind his type after a wrist damage derailed him in 2021, whereas Auger-Aliassime had a down yr in 2023 and suffered a knee damage late within the season. The Canadian has performed simply two matches within the final three months: a blended doubles match on the United Cup and his first singles match of the yr this week in Auckland. Each had been losses.
If Auger-Aliassime comes by way of, his nemesis Daniil Medvedev is his probably third-round opponent. The Canadian has by no means overwhelmed the previous world No. 1 in six makes an attempt, though their closest encounter got here in Melbourne within the 2022 quarter-finals when Auger-Aliassime led by two units to like and held match level.
Grigor Dimitrov is the projected fourth-round opponent for Auger-Aliassime. Holger Rune can be in that quarter.
Denis Shapovalov has the least intimidating first-round match out of the Canadian males, qualifier Jakub Mensik, however his second-round opponent is more likely to be No. 9 seed Hubert Hurkacz, who defeated Shapovalov in 5 units final yr within the third spherical.
Final week, Shapovalov performed his first tour occasion since being injured within the fourth spherical of Wimbledon final summer season. He misplaced within the first spherical of Auckland to Sebastian Ofner.
No. 21 seed Ugo Humbert is Shapovalov’s projected third-round opponent, with No. 8 Holger Rune or his Wimbledon conqueror Roman Safiulin probably ready within the fourth spherical.
Auger-Aliassime and Shapovalov are in the identical quarter within the backside half of the draw with Carlos Alcaraz. Raonic is within the prime half with Novak Djokovic. Not one of the Canadian males may face one of many prime two seeds till the semifinals.
Leylah Annie Fernandez, who snuck in because the thirty second and remaining seed, bought the least brutal draw of the 5 Canadians. She’s going to begin towards 17-year-old qualifier Sara Bejlek. Nonetheless, the problem will increase exponentially fairly rapidly.
The first main menace on paper for Fernandez looms within the type of fourth seed and reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff within the third spherical. The 2 children have by no means met on tour. Gauff is the most-recent hard-court Grand Slam champion and already has a title below her belt in 2024, though Fernandez is coming in with momentum after a robust end to 2023 and regarded sharp on the United Cup to start out the season.
A win may arrange a rematch with Caroline Garcia, who beat Fernandez in each Melbourne and at Wimbledon in epics final yr. Noami Osaka, who not too long ago made her return to the tour after maternity depart and who Fernandez defeated throughout her run to the 2021 US Open remaining, can be in that part of the draw as a possible fourth-round opponent.
Fernandez has a 1-4 report on the Australian Open, together with her finest end result being the second spherical in 2023. She is within the backside half of the draw with defending champion and No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka, however they can not meet till the semifinals.
For the primary time, the Australian Open is starting on a Sunday. Fernandez is the lone Canadian enjoying on day one and can kick off the motion on John Cain Area at 11 am native time, 7 pm EST on Saturday evening in Canada. The match might be broadcast in Canada on TSN and RDS.
