Pretty exciting time for Canadian tennis

[Will]

Eugenie Bouchard has advanced to the finals at Wimbledon and Milos Raonic plays in the semi-finals tomorrow.

[Tau Ceti]

Really impressive run by both. Although I couldn't help but think... is this more a matter of Canadians doing well now or Canadians completely sucking in the past? :) I mean seriously, we've never had a finalist in a major previously?

[Mulder]

Eugenie Bouchard has advanced to the finals at Wimbledon and Milos Raonic plays in the semi-finals tomorrow.

I've made my opinion known about these 2. Eugenie does seem like the real deal.

On the other hand, we have Milos. Who the media seem to love despite the fact he hasn't beaten a higher ranked seed in the major tournaments in 3 years. (When he beat an 11th seed when he was ranked 40+)
Infact, I don't even think he's beaten anyone in the top 5. In the tournaments he's won, never was there top 7 in world show up. So IMO, the hype is unjustified, how can a player who doesn't beat anybody ranked higher than him move up in the rankings? Hopefully he proves me wrong, but as I said, I see though this manufactured hype.

[1argoholic]

Both are young and still learning what it takes to compete at the highest level. If they keep improving Canada could become a powerhouse. Too bad Eugenie hasn't had better commercials offered to her as of yet. Are we really supposed to believe she eats that Pinty's CRAP.

[Will]

I don't mind the Pinty's chicken fingers. They're better than what I get at Costco.

[argonaut11xx]

Eugenie Bouchard is way HOTTER than Carling Bassett ever was....so yea...

Its a very exciting time...oh yea..for tennis in Canada

[Double Dare]

She crapped out: http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/Bouchard+eliminated+from+Rogers/10092436/story.html

[Argocister]

I think Milos is the only Canadian left in singles play.

[Will]

Milos Raonic advances to his first grand slam final.

Best of luck on Sunday!

[AngeloV]

Milos Raonic advances to his first grand slam final.

Best of luck on Sunday!

Good for him. Hope he wins.

[Argo57]

Haven't watched tennis since the Borg (my favourite all time player), McEnroe, Conners days, good on Raonic seems like a pretty reserved classy player.
Best of luck to him this weekend!

[Ron]

Haven't watched tennis since the Borg (my favourite all time player), McEnroe, Conners days, good on Raonic seems like a pretty reserved classy player.
Best of luck to him this weekend!

Ille Nastase was my fav of that era though the Borg/McEnroe feud was the best tennis ever.

[Double Dare]

Ille Nastase was my fav of that era though the Borg/McEnroe feud was the best tennis ever. Nasty Nastese! I liked all the bad boys of tennis back then ... Conners, Mac, ... not so much the game.
Eugenie is turning into quite the little brat lately ... and her game is crapping negative.

[1argoholic]

But she's hot so nothing else matters.

[Double Dare]

But she's hot so nothing else matters. ... and she eats Pinty's. Yum ...

[jerrym]

Milos Raonic’s steady ascension means 2017 could finally be the year Canada wins a Grand Slam titlehttp://www.vancouversun.com/sports/tennis/milos+raonic+steady+ascension+means+2017+could+fin ally/12710120/story.html

[jerrym]

This could also be the year Bouchard wins a grand slam.



Tennis broadcasters Patrick McEnroe and Chris Evert were asked last week if anyone in the men’s draw could stop 2017 from being defined by the rivalry between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.
McEnroe said on a conference call with reporters that those two were “a couple of steps beyond everybody else” and he said he doubted the challenge would come from the tier of older players like Tomas Berdych and Kei Nishikori who have been near the top for a while but never quite broken through. “Raonic,” Evert said, succinctly. “Raonic has made some big steps,” McEnroe agreed. “He’s a guy that could do it.” ...


And while precisely no one would have her on their mostlikely-to-break-through lists, given a shaky finish last season brought on in part by injuries, Bouchard is just 22 and has the benefit of a women’s draw that is far less intimidating at the top end than the men’s side. There is the Big One, with Serena Williams chasing her record 23rd grand slam title, and then a whole bunch of others.
Where Raonic has run headlong into the immovable objects of Murray and Djokovic, Bouchard beat the current world No. 1, Angelique Kerber, last year in Rome. She’s also 2-0 against fifth-ranked Karolina Pliskova, 3-1 against sixth-ranked Dominka Cibulkova and beat 10th-ranked Johanna Konta in their only meeting last year, at Wimbledon.
The point is, for as much as Bouchard was being fitted for Icarus wings as she bottomed out in 2015, the Montrealer still has the game to hang with a lot of the best. Her biggest challenge — even when she stormed through the grand slam season in 2014 — is consistency. Where Raonic has to figure out how to beat the best players in the world, Bouchard has to figure out how to not lose as often to the lesser players.


http://epaper.vancouversun.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

[jerrym]

While Bouchard has been eliminated from the Australian Open, Raonic has got a big break with the elimination of his nemesis, Novak Djokovic.



Milos Raonic (http://www.sportsnet.ca/tennis/ATP/players/milos-raonic/511700) has accomplished a lot in his young career, but the most sought-after tennis prize still eludes him.
Coming into the 2017 season ranked No. 3 in the world, the Australian Open presents Raonic with an opportunity to win his first Grand Slam. But before he could get there, he was expected to find world No. 2 and 12-time Grand Slam champion [/URL]Novak Djokovic (http://www.sportsnet.ca/tennis/ATP/players/novak-djokovic/262643) waiting for him in the semifinals.
Things have changed.
After Djokovic’s stunning second round loss to [URL="http://www.sportsnet.ca/tennis/ATP/players/denis-istomin/318708"]Denis Istomin (http://www.sportsnet.ca/tennis/ATP/players/denis-istomin/318708) — the 117th ranked player in the world — the uphill path to the Australian Open finals has tilted in Raonic’s favour.

The head-to-head numbers between Raonic and Djokovic are quite staggering. Raonic won a single set against the Serbian in 2014 and that remains the only set he has taken in their eight matches. It should be noted the 26-year-old Canadian was still developing his all-around game through many of these matchups, while Djokovic was at his peak level of greatness.


http://www.sportsnet.ca/tennis/raonic-can-take-advantage-djokovics-absence-australian-open/

[jerrym]

Raonic has won his fourth match to reach the final 16 of the Australian Open.



Milos Raonic’s machine-like advance through the Australian Open hit a brief glitch against Gilles Simon but the Canadian re-booted to delete the dogged Frenchman 6-2 7-6(5) 3-6 6-3 and reach the fourth round on Saturday.
The third seed, who revealed he has been suffering from a “bad fever”, lost his first set of the tournament against the indefatigable Simon, whose hard running and sublime passing shots threatened to turn the game on its head.
The big-serving Canadian drowned out the Gallic cheers by capturing the decisive break in the sixth game of the fourth set and sealed the match with a big kicking serve to set up a clash with Spanish 13th seed Roberto Bautista Agut.


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/tennis/milos-raonic-fights-fever-downs-simon-to-reach-last-16-at-australian-open/article33696311/

[jerrym]

Canada has two new young rising tennis stars in Denis Shapovalov and Bianca Andreescu.



Shapovalov is currently ranked in the top 50 of the ATP (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Tennis_Professionals) rankings and was the youngest to crack the top 30 since 2005.[3] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Shapovalov#cite_note-DH-3) His career-high ATP singles ranking is No. 23 in the world.

Shapovalov rose to prominence by reaching a Masters semifinal at the 2017 Canadian Open (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Rogers_Cup) as an 18-year-old, beating grand slam champions Juan Martín del Potro (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Martín_del_Potro) and Rafael Nadal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Nadal) during his run.[4] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Shapovalov#cite_note-ATP7-4) He has since reached another Masters semifinal at the 2018 Madrid Open (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Mutua_Madrid_Open) and became the top-ranked Canadian on May 21 as part of his ongoing climb in the ATP rankings.

As a junior, Shapovalov reached a career-high ITF junior ranking of No. 2 behind a Wimbledon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Wimbledon_Championships_–_Boys'_Singles) grand slam singles title in 2016, and a US Open (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_US_Open_–_Boys'_Doubles) grand slam doubles title with compatriot Félix Auger-Aliassime (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Félix_Auger-Aliassime) in 2015

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Shapovalov




Canada's Bianca Andreescu jumped 45 positions to a career-high No. 107 in the world rankings Monday after her surprising run to the final at the ASB Classic.

The 18-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., stunned former world No. 1s Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and American Venus Williams en route to her first appearance in a WTA Tour final on Sunday in Auckland, New Zealand. ...

The 18-year-old then cruised past 28th-ranked Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan on Saturday 6-3, 6-3 in the semifinals at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand. ...

Andreescu, who won three qualifying matches to enter the main draw, dropped a three-set decision to 14th-ranked Julia Goerges of Germany in the championship match. ...

After falling to Goerges on Sunday in her eighth match in nine days, Andreescu left Auckland for Melbourne on Monday to prepare for the Australian Open's qualifying draw, starting Tuesday.
https://www.cbc.ca/sports/tennis/bianca-andreescu-world-tennis-rankings-1.4968450

[jerrym]

Bianca Andreescu is rocketing ahead with her win at Indian Wells and how she is doing in Miami.



When you aren't supposed to win, it's hard to know what to do when it happens.
Take 18-year-old Bianca Andreescu and her historic win this past weekend at Indian Wells. She is the first wild card to ever capture the event, the most prestigious tournament ever won by a Canadian singles player. There was no fancy meal or waiting champagne, even if she isn't yet old enough to drink it.



https://www.cbc.ca/sports/tennis/bianca-andreescu-tennis-waking-up-brand-new-world-1.5063102




Canada's BiancaAndreescu has exacted revenge on one of the three women to beat her in the 2019 season.
The 18-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won her ninth consecutive match on Friday, beating No. 32 seed Sofia Kenin of the United States 6-3, 6-3 in a second-round contest at the Miami Open.
Kenin was the last player to beat the 24th-ranked Andreescu, prevailing in a three-set semifinal in Acapulco, Mexico on March 1.
Since then, Andreescu has captured the BNP Paribas Open title in Indian Wells, Calif., and won two more matches in Miami. She is now 30-3 during the 2019 season.
https://www.cbc.ca/sports/tennis/miami-open-recap-friday-1.5067611

[jerrym]

Lehlah Annie Fernandez and Felix Auger-Aliassime are dominating in women's and men's tennis in a way never seen before but there are also some racial issues.



Afew months ago, Leylah Annie Fernandez was far from a household name in Canada (https://www.theguardian.com/world/canada). But after a series of stunning performances at the US Open, she is the toast of the town – french toast with extra maple syrup, to be precise.


The 19-year-old from Quebec celebrated her birthday just days ago and she joins her fellow Montrealer, 21-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime, in the semi-finals of the US Open (https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/sep/07/us-open-leylah-fernandez-elina-svitolina-quarter-finals). The pair play the men’s and women’s world No 2s in their respective semi-finals: Auger-Aliassime against Daniil Medvedev on Friday night while Fernandez faces Aryna Sabalenka under the Arthur Ashe lights on Thursday.

It’s a fine era for Canadian tennis. Since Wimbledon 2014, Canada has had six different grand slam semi-finalists – Auger-Aliassime, Fernandez, Bianca Andreescu, Eugenie Bouchard, Milos Raonic and Denis Shapovalov. What’s more Auger-Aliassime is the first Canadian male to reach the semi-finals in US Open history.


The rise is no fluke. Canada, despite being famous for winter sports, has invested heavily in tennis (https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/may/23/how-did-canada-become-a-tennis-superpower-its-complicated) and the results are starting to become apparent. Even more encouraging, the players represent the country’s diversity – Bouchard is French Canadian, Raonic was born in what is now Montenegro, Andreescu’s parents emigrated from Romania while Shapovalov’s mother is Ukrainian Jewish and his father is a Russian Orthodox Christian. Of this year’s semi-finalists, Fernandez is of Ecuadorian and Filipino descent while Auger-Aliassime’s father was born in Togo.

But Canadian tennis is not without its issues when it comes to race. Francoise Abanda, also from Montreal, has been public about her struggles within the system as a Black Canadian player. In 2018, she was 40 places higher than Bouchard in the world rankings yet she says she got far less coverage and support.


“I’m not asking to be exposed like a No 1 player, I’m not asking to get the same recognition as other players who have achieved more,” she told the Canadian Press (https://www.cbc.ca/sports/tennis/canadian-tennis-player-francoise-abanda-blames-racism-for-low-profile-1.4666176) at the time. “I’m just saying that there is a minimum that sometimes I don’t even get.” Abanda was on my radar because she is one of the few Black tennis players in Canada. I was not surprised to hear her comment, and also unsurprised at how few Canadian networks or news agencies even covered her remarks.



Dr Courtney Szto (https://www.universityresearch.ca/researchers/dr-courtney-stzo/)is one of Canada’s leading sports sociologists. In an email, she told me that tennis doesn’t appear to have as much of the overt racism that hockey does (https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/mar/12/hockey-nhl-racism-diversity) in Canada. However, she added that we should not take too much away from the fact that racism in Canadian tennis is rarely discussed. “I think racism in tennis is a conversation predominantly pushed by Black women and we haven’t seen Canadian tennis players really embrace anti-racism with their full chest,” Szto wrote. “We don’t talk about racism in Canadian tennis because we don’t talk about racism in Canada.”

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/sep/09/leylah-fernandez-felix-auger-aliassime-us-open-canadian-tennis

[jerrym]

While Fernandez went down to defeat she played extremely well against Raducanu who was the better player on the day. Both look to have great futures and Fernandez's personality won her tons of fans.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/tennis/article/us-open-run-stardom-fernandez-hit-right-notes-even-defeat/

[jerrym]

Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime beat his tennis idol Rafael Nadal, but just lost to Taylor Fritz and is now sixth in tennis rankings.


Felix Auger-Aliassime's dream of defeating his tennis idol came true on Tuesday.
After a loss to Norway's Casper Ruud to open his first career appearance at the season-ending ATP Finals, Auger-Aliassime regained his scorching end-of-season form with a 6-3, 6-4 win over top-seeded Rafael Nadal in round-robin play.
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“I wasn’t sure If I would be here one day or if I could only dream of it," Auger-Aliassime said of defeating the Spanish legend for the first time.
“The age difference is huge, and it proves what a champion he is and what an example because he is still here at 36, battling against guys in their young 20s. He is a great champion and has a great attitude."
https://www.sportsnet.ca/tennis/article/canadas-felix-auger-aliassime-knocks-off-rafael-nadal-at-atp-finals/

[jerrym]

For the first time ever, 109 years after first competing, Canada has won the Davis Cup, "the premier international team event in men's tennis" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davis_Cup), showing the depth of Canadian tennis talent.


Robert Bettauer was Tennis Canada's director of tennis development some three decades ago when the federation created a vision statement with some lofty goals.
One of the top priorities was to one day win a Davis Cup title. On Sunday, Canada finally did it with a historic victory over Australia in Malaga, Spain. "I just sent [former coaching director] Pierre Lamarche a text and said, 'Mission accomplished,"' Bettauer said. A sky-high goal for a program that wasn't a tennis power at the time, Canada has slowly but surely become a player on the sport's international scene. Investments in national training centres, coaching and support staff have paid off and Canadian players have made significant inroads in the men's and women's game.

Daniel Nestor became a force on the doubles scene. Eugenie Bouchard and Milos Raonic later took things to a higher level in singles with deep Grand Slam runs in the mid-2010s.
Bianca Andreescu delivered a breakthrough with a US Open singles title in 2019 and Leylah Fernandez reached the 2021 final in New York.
In men's singles, Canada has two top-20 players in Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Joined by experienced veteran Vasek Pospisil in a deep Davis Cup lineup, Canada delivered wins over Germany and Italy to set up the final showdown with Australia.
Alexis Galarneau and Gabriel Diallo rounded out the Canadian roster. Captain Frank Dancevic pulled the strings and was a motivational force.
Shapovalov lost just six games in his opening singles victory Sunday over Thanasi Kokkinakis and Auger-Aliassime clinched it with a straight-sets win over Alex de Minaur.

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/tennis/davis-cup-tennis-canada-nov-28-1.6667183

[jerrym]

In yet another Roger's internet failure, it lost the feed to the Davis Cup just before Canada won the cup leaving fans in the dark. What an organization!



The timing of a technical glitch that knocked the Davis Cup final off the air on Sportsnet couldn't have come at a worse time for tennis fans across Canada.
Instead of watching the dramatic scenes of the country's first-ever win (https://www.cp24.com/sports/canada-beats-australia-to-claim-its-first-davis-cup-tennis-championship-1.6170554) at the prestigious team event, viewers were left in the dark Sunday due to an issue with the network's satellite feed.
Broadcasters Rob Faulds and Robert Bettauer, who were providing commentary from a remote studio, had to call the last few points by checking an online scoreboard.
https://www.cp24.com/sports/courting-disaster-sportsnet-loses-davis-cup-feed-just-before-canada-s-historic-win-1.6171904

[shayman]

It was cringe-inducing watching the Sportsnet commentators try to bluff their way through the commentary during the final minutes of the Davis Cup. I couldn't tear myself away! Kept hoping the video would come back, but also fascinated to see them try to improvise in this awkward situation. What a low point in Sportsnet history.

I stuck with it two minutes too long though and missed the Canadian goal at the World Cup.

[kellynjk]

For the first time ever, 109 years after first competing, Canada has won the Davis Cup, "the premier international team event in men's tennis" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davis_Cup), showing the depth of Canadian tennis talent.

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/tennis/davis-cup-tennis-canada-nov-28-1.6667183

I had watched the Canadian team earlier in the week and in the semi-finals and tried to tape the final. It's such a shame that Roger's lost the feed to the final as I'm sure a lot of fans, not to mention the families of those playing wanted to see it. But I'm not surprised as the coverage seemed like amateur hour, you couldn't even find the time etc on the Sportnet Menu when trying to tape it etc.