She then caught a bit of a break, meeting up with Ann Li rather than four-time Roland-Garros champion Iga Swiatek, who had retired against Li in the previous round. Fernandez took full advantage of the opening, dispatching Li in straight sets<\/a> to reach the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n F\u00e9lix Auger-Aliassime was the only Canadian man to pick up a win in Madrid. Fresh off completing his Masters 1000 quarter-final set in Monte-Carlo, the Montrealer opened his campaign in the Spanish capital with a straight-set win over qualifier Vilius Gaubas<\/a>. However, he was upset in round three<\/a> by rising Belgian star Alexander Blockx.\u00a0<\/p>\n In total, there were five Canadians competing in Madrid, all of them seeded in singles. However, the other three all lost their opening matches. \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Victoria Mboko\u2019s Madrid debut did not go according to plan, as she was stunned in the second round (after a bye) by Caty McNally<\/a> in straight sets. Not only was it her first opening-match loss at a regular tour event since October 2025, it was the first regular tournament (excluding the United Cup) in 2026 where Mboko did not win at least three matches.<\/p>\n Mboko was also the lone Canadian competing in doubles. She lost in the first round alongside Jovic to Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva.<\/p>\n Denis Shapovalov and Gabriel Diallo were seeded 31st and 32nd respectively in the men\u2019s singles draws, but both dropped their opening matches. Shapovalov was beaten by qualifier Nicolai Budkov Kjaer<\/a>, while Diallo retired in the second set of his match with Elmer Moller<\/a>.<\/p>\n Click here for more news from the ATP and WTA Tours.<\/a><\/p>\n What to Watch: Another Breakthrough Coming for Fernandez?<\/p>\n Leylah Annie Fernandez now has her eyes on ending an even longer drought in Madrid. The Canadian has not reached a Big semifinal since her Cinderella run to the US Open final in 2021.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n In order to reach the final four for the first time since that magical fortnight in New York, she will have to upset world No. 9 Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-finals. If Fernandez gets through, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will likely be waiting in the semis, assuming the top seed defeats 30th seed Hailey Baptiste.<\/p>\n Fernandez is the only Canadian left in Madrid this week.<\/p>\n Under the Radar: Canadian Hat Trick<\/p>\n After a few quieter weeks, the Canadians broke out in a big way over the weekend with titles on the ATP Challenger, ITF, and wheelchair circuits.<\/p>\n Cleeve Harper continued his strong 2026 season with a third ATP Challenger doubles title already this year alongside Brit David Stevenson. A week after falling in the final of the Tallahassee Challenger in Florida, the pair secured the trophy up in Savannah, Georgia, beating Luis David Martinez and Cristian Rodriguez in straight sets in the final.<\/p>\n The Canadian-British duo were the top seeds and only dropped one set on their way to the title, that being the first set of their epic semi against third seeds George Goldhoff and Patrick Harper, which the top seeds eventually won 6-7(6), 7-6(2), 10-6. It is the 14th doubles title and ninth Challenger crown of the Calgarian\u2019s career.<\/p>\n 18-year-old Volodymyr Gurenko won his first professional title over the weekend, claiming the ITF M15 doubles crown in Quito, Ecuador, with American Ryan Dickerson. The pair were unseeded but came through a couple of match tiebreaks, including an epic 15-13 in the first round, to reach the final. There, they stunned the top seeds Breno Braga and Victor Pagotto of Brazil in straight sets to lift the trophy.<\/p>\n Read also: What Makes the National Bank Open Unique<\/a><\/p>\n Gurenko, a former junior world No. 92 and 12-time titlist (six each in singles and doubles) on the ITF junior tour, only began playing professional events on a regular basis last fall, although he played his first professional match on the ITF circuit in Saint-Augustin, QC, in October 2023. He only made his pro debut in doubles last October in Trois-Rivi\u00e8res.<\/p>\n Shawn Courchesne went back-to-back at the Canadian ITF Wheelchair events last week, following up his title in Markham, ON<\/a>, with another quad singles title in Windsor, ON. It was also a successful title defence for the 33-year-old. \u00a0<\/p>\n Canada was guaranteed a winner in that division as all four competitors were Canadian, but Courchesne cruised through the round-robin event. He lost a mere six games in his three matches, delivering three bagel sets, en route to his seventh quad singles title on the ITF Tour. All of the wins have been since June 2025 (Windsor was played in July last year).<\/p>\n Thoms Venos was the runner-up in Windsor in both men\u2019s singles and doubles, while Anne-Marie Dolinar came second in the women\u2019s singles.<\/p>\n This week, Bianca Andreescu is back in action at the WTA 125 event in Saint-Malo, France. \u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Cleeve](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Cleeve-Harper-2026-Savannah.webp.webp\")
<\/p>\n![\"Volodymyr](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Volodymyr-Gurenko-2026-Quito.webp.webp\")
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