Monday Digest: Auger-Aliassime, Shapovalov Arrive in Indian Wells in Form – Tennis Canada

With the first Masters 1000 event of the year about to begin, Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov have every reason to be confident when they land in Indian Wells. Both Canadian men have recent titles under their belts and put up a good result last week.  

Now they will look to keep their level high in Tennis Paradise. 

Here’s what you need to know. 

In Case You Missed It: Strong showings by Canadian men 

Few players have been as solid on the ATP Tour over the last month as Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov. 

Auger-Aliassime is the ATP Tour leader in match wins with 16, finals with three, and titles with two. He took over as the match wins and finals leader last week when he reached the title match in Dubai. 

It was a tough road for the Canadian No. 1 as he needed three sets in each of his matches to get to the final. He outlasted Alexander Bublik, Nuno Borges, Marin Cilic, and Quentin Halys but ultimately ran out of gas in the final against Stefanos Tsitsipas. 

Shapovalov picked up where he left off in Dallas and tacked on three more wins in Acapulco to stretch his winning streak to eight matches, his best run on the ATP Tour. However, he was stumped in the semifinals by Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.  

As a result of his semifinal run, the Canadian jumped back into the Top 30 of the ATP rankings for the first time since September 2023. 

Gabriel Diallo also competed in Acapulco but lost in the first round to Tommy Paul. 

Click here for more news and results from the ATP and WTA Tours.

What to Watch: Large Canadian Contingent in Indian Wells. 

The first combined 1000 event on the calendar gets underway this week in Indian Wells, California; the BNP Paribas Open. It is the first ATP Masters 1000 event of the year and third WTA 1000. 

Three Canadians received direct entry to the singles main draw: Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov on the men’s side and Leylah Annie Fernandez on the women’s. All three Canadians will be seeded and will have a first-round bye. The main draw will be made later on Monday. 

Gabriel Diallo is the fourth seed in qualifying on the men’s side. He opens against Hady Habib of Lebanon and would meet either American Ethan Quinn or 20th seeded Aussie Tristan Schoolkate for a spot in the main draw.  

Alexis Galarneau joins his fellow Quebecois in qualies. He faces 11th seed Arthur Cazaux in the first round and would play either 15th seed Pablo Careno Busta or Zachary Svajda in the second round. 

Read also: February Mailbag – Guillaume Marx on Canada’s Pro Success and Coaching Future Stars

Both Rebecca Marino and Marina Stakusic were competing in the women’s qualifying in Indian Wells but lost their first-round matches in straight sets. 

Gabriela Dabrowski will also be competing in the doubles.  

Under the Radar: Three More Titles for Canada 

While Canada did not add any titles on the main circuit this week, three more were claimed on the ATP Challenger and ITF tours. 

Cleeve Harper brought home the doubles title at the ATP Challenger event in Lugano, Switzerland, alongside Brit David Stevenson. They beat the top seeds Jakub Paul and David Pel 10-8 in the match tiebreak to claim the title. It is Harper’s second Challenger doubles title of the season. 

Kayla Cross picked up her first ITF singles title of the year in Arcadia, California, claiming the W35 title. She also knocked off the top seed in the final, beating American Iva Jovic in straight sets.  

Alvin Nicholas Tudorica won his first professional doubles title last week in Huamantla, Mexico, with American Ryan Fishback. The second-seeded pair beat third seeds Juan Sebastian Osorio and Elijah Strode 10-6 in the match tiebreak to claim the trophy. Tudorica also reached the singles final but lost in straight sets to his doubles partner Fishback. 

One non-victorious result of note last week came in Macon, France, where Victoria Mboko finally lost her first singles match of 2025. She was beaten in the first round by fifth seed Raluca Georgiana Serban of Cyprus in straight sets, snapping the 18-year-old’s 20-match winning streak (22 including qualifying).  

Read also: Q and A – NBO Montreal Tournament Director Valérie Tétreault on Keys, Halep, and Planning for a 12-Day Format

Despite the loss, that streak is still the longest by a Canadian woman since the ITF began keeping such records in 1994. 

The first domestic professional events of 2025 on Canadian soil are taking place this week in Quebec. Trois-Rivieres hosts a W15 event while the men are competing at a M15 in Sherbrooke.

You can follow the Canadians in action every week here.