Harrison Plays Giant Killer to Claim Brossard Title

The first professional to claim a singles title on Canadian soil in 2024 was American Catherine Harrison, who became the first ITF Brossard champion on Sunday. 

Harrison defeated second seed Jessica Aney, also of the United States, in three sets to claim her third career singles title on the ITF Tour. 

Brossard was the first professional tournament held in Canada in 2024, not counting the Davis Cup qualifiers played in Montreal in February, and was the first edition of the W15 event. 

Seeded fifth, Harrison managed to take out both of the top seeds on her way to the title. She upset top seed Alice Robbe of France in the quarter-finals before besting the second-seeded Aney in the final. Harrison rallied from a set down to win both of those matches, taking out Robbe 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 and then claiming the title with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory. 

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The American also played spoiler for the host nation, beating Canadians Rhea Verma and Zoya Chulak in her first two rounds, both in straight sets. 

Clemence Mercier was the last Canadian standing in the singles, reaching the semifinals. Mercier, the reigning U18 outdoor national champion, did not drop a set in five wins including two in qualifying and three in the main draw, before finally seeing her run end at Aney’s hands in the final four. 

In the quarter-finals, Mercier had won an all-Canadian clash with wildcard Jada Bui, who had upset third seed Dasha Ivanova in the second round. 

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Ana Grubor, seeded sixth, was the top-ranked Canadian but lost in the second round. 

Near American Sweep in Brossard 

The doubles title was won by American Ashton Bowers and her Polish partner Zuzana Pawlikowska, who defeated the all-American pair of Jessica Bernales and Mia Yamakita in straight sets 6-3, 6-3. 

Pawlikowska was the only non-American in either draw to reach the final. 

Robbe and Aney, the top two singles seeds, teamed up to be the top seeds in the doubles but lost in the semis to Bowers and Pawlikowska.  

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Three Canadians, all on different teams, reached the quarter-finals of the doubles: Sara-Maria Calmuschi with Sarah Victoria Majesty Nita of Curacao, Rhea Verma with Emma van Poppel of the Netherlands, and Arisha Ladhani with American Lilian Poling. None reached the semifinals. 

There is another ITF W15 event this week in Montreal.