Canadians fall early in Melbourne

Gabriela Dabrowski is the only Canadian remaining at the Australian Open.

She and Erin Routliffe advanced to the quarter-finals with a hard-fought win over Beatriz Haddad Maia and Laura Siegemund 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4. The pair have come back from down a set in each of their three wins in the tournament. The reigning WTA Finals champions will take on Miyu Kato and Renata Zarazua in the quarters.

The five Canadians in the singles draw fell early in the season’s first Grand Slam.

Leylah Annie Fernandez found the most success in Melbourne Park, winning her first match against Yuliia Starodubtseva 7-5, 6-4 and her second-round match against Cristina Bucsa 3-6, 6-4, 6-4. Her run would end in the third round as she fell to No. 3 Coco Gauff, one of the tournament favourites, 6-4, 6-2.

Despite the early exit, it was the most successful Australian Open of Fernandez’s career, as she reached the third round for the first time in six entries.

Rebecca Marino was the only other Canadian in the women’s draw but dropped her first-round match to the 22nd seed Katie Boulter 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.

Things did not go better for the Canadians on the men’s side.

Félix Auger-Aliassime rode into the Australian Open on a high, taking a five-match win streak into the tournament after winning the Adelaide International. Unfortunately for the Montreal native, he was bounced in the second round by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Auger-Aliassime went up two sets to love but could not put away the Spaniard, who stormed back to take the match 6-7 (7), 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-1, 6-3.

Denis Shapovalov beat veteran Roberto Bautista Agut 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (8) in his first-round match but was unable to overcome a tough draw, falling to 2024 Olympic bronze medallist and No. 16 seed Lorenzo Musetti 7-6(3), 7-6(6), 6-2.

Gabriel Diallo faced a familiar foe in his second-round matchup but was beaten by No. 19 Karen Khachanov for the third time in six months 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Fernandez saw her stay in Melbourne end on Sunday night after she and partner Nadiia Kichenok lost their third-round doubles match 6-3, 6-0 to Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova.

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Marquee matchups headline quarters

The top seeds cruised through the draw on the men’s side and a marquee matchup between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will headline the quarter-finals. Djokovic is looking to win his 11th Australian Open title, while Alcaraz is searching for the one Grand Slam he’s yet to win.

The two have faced off seven times in their careers, with Djokovic holding a 4-3 advantage. However, Alcaraz has won the two most recent Grand Slam matches between the two, conquering Djokovic in the 2023 and 2024 Wimbledon finals.

Read also: ATP Power Rankings - Sinner Looks to Stay Dominant at Australian Open

Other men’s quarter-final matches include No. 1 Jannik Sinner against Alex de Minaur, Tommy Paul taking on No. 2 Alexander Zverev, and No. 21 Ben Shelton against unseeded Lorenzo Sonego.

On the women’s side, two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka has yet to drop a set as she heads into her quarter-final match against No. 27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The other quarter-final matchups will see No. 3 Coco Gauff face off with No. 11 Paula Badosa, No. 19 Madison Keys battling No. 28 Elina Svitolina, and No. 8 Emma Navarro taking on No. 2 Iga Swiatek.

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Feature Photo : Martin Sidorjak

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