The second round of the qualifying event at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers was off to a great start.
But when the skies opened up, organizers had to carry the day’s matches over to Tuesday morning, before the start of the main draw.
Tomorrow, Alexis Galarneau of Laval, the only Canadian still standing, will need to win only one set to go through. When his match against No.80 Rinky Hijikata (11) was put on hold, they were a set apiece and two points into the third (6-2, 4-6, 15-15).
Galarneau had a strong showing in the first set, taking a 3-0 lead and then coasting to 6-2.
READ: Peroni Nastro Azzuro Refresh: Galarneau a step away from the main draw
In the second, he was up 3-1 but fumbled on a run of service breaks. Hijikata got the upper hand and closed things out on the fifth set point.
Only one player qualified today when Arthur Rinderknech of France benefited from Christopher O’Connell’s withdrawal at 2-1 in the opening set.
While tennis was front and centre, there were also plenty of other fun activities in store for fans.
Stefanos Tsitsipas got in on a kids’ yoga session as part of the Mental Timeout initiative supported by Beneva, which encourages players to take time for themselves between matches and maintain a healthy balance.
Meanwhile. fans of Félix Auger-Aliassime, the newly-minted Olympic bronze medallist in mixed doubles got to see him train on Court 7 even as the rain drops fell.
Feature photo: Sarah-Jäde Champagne
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