Monday Digest: Dabrowski, Andreescu successfully return on grass

If Gabriela Dabrowski and Bianca Andreescu have been rusty on the grass final week, nobody would have recognized primarily based on their outcomes. 

Each not too long ago had prolonged layoffs and are simply working their approach again on tour, however of their first grass occasions of the season, they discovered themselves in finals, with the Ottawan getting her fingers on the trophy. 

Right here’s what it’s essential to know. 

In Case You Missed It: Dabrowski Again with a Bang 

It was as if Gabriela Dabrowski had by no means been away. The Canadian doubles star was competing in her first occasion final week since reaching the Miami Open last in March, having skipped the complete clay-court season with an harm, on the Rothesay Open in Nottingham and walked away together with her first title of 2024 with Erin Routliffe. 

The Canadian-Kiwi pair have been the highest seeds and performed prefer it, dropping simply 9 video games on their strategy to the ultimate. There they’d their fingers full with Harriet Dart and Diane Parry, who pushed the US Open champions to the restrict. However Dabrowski and Routliffe managed to squeak out the match tiebreak to assert the title with a 5-7, 6-3, 11-9 win. 

Their victory in Nottingham was their first since successful in Zhengzhou final October. It’s the sixteenth title general of Dabrowski’s profession and third with Routliffe. It was additionally the Canadian’s first victory on grass since 2018. 

Over in s-Hertogenbosch, Bianca Andreescu shone on the Libema Open, reaching her first last of the yr in simply her second match again after 9 months out with harm.  

On her strategy to the ultimate, the previous US Open champion beat sixth seed Yuan Yue earlier than successful an exciting quarter-final over four-time main champion Naomi Osaka. She reached her first last since 2022 with a straight-forward semifinal win over Dalma Galfi earlier than shedding an exciting last to No. 2 seed Liudmila Samsonova. 

Becoming a member of the comeback membership final week was Milos Raonic, who was competing in his first occasion since Indian Wells on the lads’s aspect in s-Hertogenbosch. He reached the quarter-finals earlier than falling to high seed and eventual champion Alex de Minaur. 

Denis Shapovalov was competing in Stuttgart however misplaced within the second spherical to eventual runner-up Matteo Berrettini. 

What to Watch: Historic Day for Raonic 

Milos Raonic is already off and operating on the Queen’s Membership, surprising native favorite Cameron Norrie in an epic first-round encounter the place the Canadian even broke the report for many aces in a best-of-three match. 

Learn additionally: Grass-Courtroom Season Underway

It was a superb show of attacking grass tennis from the big-serving 2016 runner-up, as he ripped 70 winners and delivered 47 aces, probably the most ever in a best-of-three, on his strategy to taking out the previous world No. 8 on his dwelling soil. 

Raonic may play No. 4 seed Taylor Fritz within the second spherical. 

Leylah Annie Fernandez bought her grass season underway this week on the WTA 250 occasion in Birmingham. She is seeded sixth simply defeated Sara Sorribes Tormo in spherical one.  

The Canadian No. 1 would face both Camila Osorio or Viktorija Golubic in spherical two, with No. 3 seed Sorana Cirstea her projected quarter-final opponent. She is within the backside half of the draw with second seed Barbora Krejcikova. 

Learn additionally: Carlos Alcaraz, A Man for All Surfaces

Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe are the second seeds in Birmingham behind Hsieh Su-Wei and Elise Mertens. They may face Greet Minnen and Heather Watson within the first spherical. 

Félix Auger-Aliassime contested his first match of the grass season on Monday in Halle, however retired within the second set of his match with Dominik Koepfer. 

Beneath the Radar: 

With the NCAA season having come to an in depth, Canadians who spent their winters taking part in within the American collegiate system at the moment are beginning to spend their time on the ITF circuit. 

Raphaelle Lacasse of the College of Nebraska joined the membership of Canadian NCAA gamers scoring victories on the ITF tour, successful her first skilled doubles title final week on the W15 occasion in Santo Domingo.  

Teaming up with Anna Carmen Zamburek of the Dominican Republic, Lacasse dropped only one set, that coming within the semifinals the place she and Zamburek upset the highest seeds, on her strategy to the title. 

On the lads’s aspect at that very same occasion, Canadians Juan Carlos Aguilar and Nicaise Muamba additionally reached the doubles last, however misplaced in straight units. 

Cleeve Harper, who spent his collegiate profession on the College of Texas, bought to the ultimate of the M25 occasion in Wichita Kansas together with his faculty doubles accomplice Eliot Spizzirri however they fell 10-8 within the match tiebreak to second seeds Pranav Kumar and Joshua Sheehy. 

The ITF junior tour handed by means of Ottawa final week, with Victor Mayer lifting the boys doubles trophy for the host nation alongside his American accomplice Connor Plunkett. They beat the all-Canadian pair of Caden Colburne and Andy Tchinda Kepche 10-7 within the match tiebreak within the last. 

Down in Veracruz, Mexico, Emma Dong picked up her first title outdoors of Canada. As the highest seed, she didn’t drop a set on her strategy to her third J100 title of the yr and fourth ITF title general. Every of her earlier titles had are available in her dwelling nation. 

A trio of Canadian Billie Jean King Cup gamers are competing this week on the W100 occasion in Ilkley, Nice Britain, with Rebecca Marino, Marina Stakusic, and Carol Zhao all competing.  

There may be additionally a big contingent of Canadians at an ITF occasion in Santa Fe, California. 

The ITF Wheelchair Tour makes a cease this week in Boucherville, Quebec. 

You possibly can comply with the Canadians in motion each week right here.