Simply a few weeks into the clay-court season and already clear favourites for Roland-Garros are rising after a pair of kids stormed to titles final week, and they’re precisely who followers would possibly count on.
Now they will actually transfer forward of the pack with the primary large mixed occasion on Europe’s purple grime this week.
However might a comeback by a Canadian star throw a wrench of their plans?
Right here’s what it’s essential know.
In Case You Missed It: Iga Regains Management
In 2022, Iga Swiatek’s domination started in February with a victory in Doha, however regardless of defending that title in 2023 she didn’t duplicate the remainder of her success and got here into Stuttgart having gone two months and not using a title, which for her is a very long time these days.
Coming back from an harm that denied her an opportunity at defending her title in Miami final week in Stuttgart, the world No. 1 regarded like her outdated self once more, blowing away the sphere as she gained her first clay-court occasion of the season.
Swiatek misplaced only one set on her option to the title, capping off her victory on the loaded WTA 500 occasion with a straight-set win over world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka for the second yr in a row.
Gabriela Dabrowski was the lone Canadian enjoying in Stuttgart however misplaced within the quarter-finals of the doubles with Luisa Stefani to Alexa Guarachi and Erin Routliffe.
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Two notable retirements to keep watch over from Stuttgart are world No. 4 Ons Jabeur, who appeared to pressure her calf within the semifinals towards Swiatek, and the in-form Elena Rybakina, who pulled out in her second-round match. Nonetheless, each are nonetheless within the draw this week in Madrid.
Denis Shapovalov acquired his clay season underway final week in Barcelona. He gained his opening match towards Jozef Kovalik in straight units earlier than bowing out in spherical three to the eventual runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Tsitsipas went on to lose within the ultimate to the highest seed and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who didn’t drop a set on his option to the title.
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The victory in Barcelona places Alcaraz again within the lead as the present favorite heading in the direction of Roland-Garros, particularly after Novak Djokovic bowed out early as soon as once more final week, this time falling within the quarter-finals of the ATP 250 occasion in Banja Luka to Dusan Lajovic in straight units.
Lajovic went on to win the title, defeating the Monte-Carlo champion Andrey Rublev within the ultimate.
Match/heartbreak of the week honours belonged to the third ultimate on the ATP Tour, as Holger Rune gained in Munich regardless of scuffling with arm and ankle accidents and trailing 5-2, 40-15 within the deciding set towards Botic van de Zandschulp. The Monte-Carlo runner-up in the end saved 4 championship factors in a comeback that noticed him take the title in a third-set tiebreak.
What to Watch: Bibi Is Again
All eyes will on a Madrid this week for the primary mixed 1000-level occasion of the clay-court season.
Explicit consideration will likely be paid to the highest quarter of the draw the place Bianca Andreescu will remarkably be returning to the tour having missed only a month after a nasty-looking ankle harm suffered in Miami.
Seeded twenty third, Andreescu has a first-round bye and can meet both Wang Xiyu or Varvara Gracheva within the second spherical. She might face eleventh seed Barbora Krejcikova within the spherical three, seventh-seed Elena Rybakina within the final sixteen, and is within the prime quarter with world No. 1 Iga Swiatek.
Andreescu is certainly one of 5 Canadians with direct entry into the primary singles attracts.
Becoming a member of her on the ladies’s facet are Leylah Annie Fernandez and Rebecca Marino, each of whom are unseeded.
Fernandez performs Mirra Andreeva within the first spherical and would face thirteenth seed Beatriz Haddad Maia, who beat the Canadian final yr on the Nationwide Financial institution Open, within the second spherical. World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka may very well be looming within the fourth spherical ought to Fernandez make it that far.
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Rebecca Marino will get some déjà-vu in her opening match as she is going to play Zhu Lin for the third time already in 2023. Zhu gained each earlier conferences and leads their general head-to-head 3-1. Ought to the Canadian flip the tide, her reward will likely be a second-round conflict with twenty fourth seed Elise Mertens, with Petra Kvitova a potential spherical three opponent.
Eugenie Bouchard is seeking to make it 4 Canadian ladies in the primary draw as she is competing in qualifying.
Ons Jabeur is the defending ladies’s champion.
On the boys’s facet, Félix Auger-Aliassime is seeded seventh and will play final week’s Banja Luka champion Dusan Lajovic within the second spherical. The Serb has gained each earlier conferences between the 2, though each had been on laborious courts with the final one coming in 2021.
Auger-Aliassime’s first seeded opponent may very well be No. 32 Ben Shelton in spherical three. His potential fourth-round opponent is No. 9 Frances Tiafoe, though a fourth assembly in 2023 with Francisco Cerundolo can be a risk. No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas is the doubtless quarter-final opponent.
Denis Shapovalov is the twenty first seed and can face both Zhang Zhizhen or a qualifier in his opening match. He might face No. 11 seed Cameron Norrie within the third spherical and is within the backside quarter with second seed Daniil Medvedev.
Each Canadian males are within the backside half of the draw, away from prime seed and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Notably absent from Madrid are Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Underneath the Radar: Crew Canada success stretches to juniors
Every week after Crew Canada offered by Sobeys clinched their spot within the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, the nation’s junior groups adopted go well with by qualifying for the Junior Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cups at each the U14 and U16 stage, that means 4 Canadian groups will likely be going for worldwide junior glory later in 2023.
All 4 Canadian squads completed within the prime two of their respective spherical robin teams. The U14 women staff gained their group with a 3-0 general file (7-2 in matches), ending forward of the US, Mexico, and Guatemala.
The opposite three groups, U16 women, U14 and U16 boys, all completed second of their teams behind the People. The subsequent stage of the competitors will happen later within the yr.
Canada final gained the junior Davis Cup in 2015, when Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov competed. The Canadians have completed because the runner-up 3 times within the junior Billie Jean King Cup, most lately in 2011.
Rob Shaw almost went back-to-back on the ITF wheelchair circuit, reaching a second consecutive ultimate however was unable to assert one other title as he and accomplice Heath Davidson misplaced a decent quad doubles ultimate on the Japan Open to prime seeds Sam Schroder and Niels Vink.
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A Fernandez discovered herself in a ultimate final week, however not the one Canadians followers are used to. It was Bianca Jolie Fernandez, Leylah Annie’s little sister, reaching the doubles ultimate on the W25 occasion in Santa Margherita di Pula in Italy, shedding a heartbreaker 11-9 within the tremendous tiebreak.
On the ATP Challenger Tour, Steven Diez reached the quarter-finals of the Open de Oeiras in Portugal.
Gabriel Diallo, Alexis Galarneau and Benjamin Sigouin are all competing on the Challenger Tour this week.
You may comply with the Canadians in motion each week right here.
