Cashmere Wrap: Canadian Youngsters Make Moves in… National Bank Open

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The tennis action is getting intense here in Toronto as the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers continued on Thursday. All four Centre Court matches today had superstar power with Coco Gauff, Leylah Annie Fernandez, Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka entertain the crowds at Sobeys Stadium.

Around the grounds, Thursday marked National Bank Day with plenty of fun activities for spectators to keep busy with between matches.

There was tennis trivia on the Main Stage in the early and late afternoon with live music happening in between. Court 5 had an afternoon Target Practice set up to see if fans could serve like a pro and of course the Fastest Serve booth is set up all week long for fans to see if they can crank the ball like Ace Queen Karolina Pliskova!

Follow the Live Results from Toronto on Thursday

In terms of Canadian content, Leylah Annie Fernandez got through her first-round opponent Nao Hibino in three sets Wednesday night but was surprised by American Qualifier Ashlyn Krueger today who defeated her 6-4, 6-2 in an afternoon match on Centre Court.

The silver lining for Fernandez was getting a measure of revenge on Krueger when teaming up a short while later in doubles with younger sister Bianca Jolie. They advanced to the last eight after a 6-3, 4-6, 11-9 victory over the all-American team of Krueger and Catherine Harrison.

Speaking of doubles, while we wait to see the first appearance in Toronto from recent Olympic Bronze medalist Gabriela Dabrowski and her partner, newly crowned World No. 1, Erin Routliffe, there is another Canadian tandem making noise here aside from the Fernandez sisters.

The wildcard duo of Ariana Arseneault and Mia Kupres have received free passage into the quarter-finals after their opponents withdrew as Marie Bouzkova suffered an ankle injury. Arseneault and Kupres play NCAA tennis so this is a huge opportunity for them in terms of ranking points, prize money, and of course the confidence it will bring them in their growth as future professional players.

For fans on site, there are tons of doubles matches happening around the grounds and it’s a great chance to see this exciting part of the sport up close and personal. The hand-eye coordination, quick reflexes and team dynamic is like nothing else in the sport.

As the night session began, No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka took to the court for her first match of the tournament. Arriving from Washington D.C., Sabalenka has had several days to get accustomed to the courts in practice and that carried over into match play Thursday night as she comfortably defeated Yue Yuan 6-2, 6-2, converting five of 13 break points en route to victory. Despite the clean scoreline, Sabalenka admitted there is still room for improvement after the match when speaking to the press.

“I wouldn’t say that I played my best tennis, but I was there and, no matter what, I was fighting for every point. I’m really happy that I was able to stay focused…and to keep pushing, even though I didn’t feel my best on court.”

It will be tough to be a future opponent of Sabalenka’s if she thinks there’s still room to improve upon that one. Next up is Great Britain’s Katie Boulter, who won via an injury retirement from 2022 finalist Beatriz Haddad Maia after only two games in their second-round match earlier in the day.

Friday is shaping up to be a fantastic day here at Sobeys Stadium as we enter the round of sixteen. Gabriela Dabrowski is set to make her tournament debut and should she and partner Erin Routliffe advance, they’ll face the all-Canadian Cinderella duo of Arseneault and Kupres in the quarterfinals!

The WTA's best return to Toronto this summer for the National Bank Open August 4 to 12, 2024 at Sobeys Stadium. 2024 Tickets are on sale. Get your tickets today!

Feature Photo: Gyles Dias