Félix Auger-Aliassime was the lone Canadian singles player to advance on the opening day of Wimbledon, securing a straight-sets victory over Alexander Shevchenko of Kazakhstan. It was a difficult day for the other Canadians in the draw, as Denis Shapovalov, Leylah Fernandez, and Bianca Andreescu were all eliminated in the first round at the All England Club, according to Sportsnet.
How did Auger-Aliassime secure his victory?
The third-seeded Auger-Aliassime won his opening match 6-3, 6-1, 6-4. The Montreal native controlled the contest against Shevchenko, breaking his opponent's serve multiple times to ensure a smooth passage into the next round of the grass-court Grand Slam. The win marks a positive start for the world No. 4, who reached the quarterfinals at the tournament in 2021, as reported by The Stats Zone.
What happened to the other Canadian players?
Denis Shapovalov retired from his match with a left shoulder injury. The player from Richmond Hill, Ont., was trailing Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 7-6(7) when he collided with a courtside barrier and could not continue, Sportsnet reported. In the women's draw, 22nd-seeded Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., was defeated 6-1, 7-6(3) by Indonesia's Janice Tjen. Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., also lost a close match, falling 7-6(3), 7-6(6) to Zhang Shuai of China.
Who is left to compete for Canada?
Félix Auger-Aliassime will face Croatia's Dino Prizmic in the second round. Gabriel Diallo of Montreal is the only other Canadian remaining in the singles draws. His first-round match against France's Benjamin Bonzi was scheduled for Tuesday, according to multiple sources.
In the women's doubles competition, Ottawa's Gabriela Dabrowski and her partner Luisa Stefani of Brazil are seeded second. Their first-round match is against Alicja Rosolska and Alexa Guarachi, as reported by CTV News.
The second round of singles play will continue over the coming days at the All England Club in London.