Monday Digest: Ready for Week Two at the U.S. Open

Gabriela Dabrowski and Leylah Annie Fernandez remain in doubles title contention at Flushing Meadows.

It’s the end of an era as Serena Williams plays her final match in New York.

Canadian juniors look for Grand Slam success at the U.S. Open.

The group stage of the Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals is just around the corner.

Here’s what you need to know.

In Case You Missed It: Doubles Success for Dabrowski and Fernandez

There may be no Canadians remaining in the singles draws at the U.S. Open, but Gabriela Dabrowski and Leylah Annie Fernandez continue to carry the flag in doubles as both have advanced to the quarter-final stage.

In women’s doubles, Dabrowski and her partner, Giuliana Olmos of Mexico, defeated American Asia Muhammad and Ena Shibahara of Japan 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(8) on Sunday afternoon to reach the final eight. This will be Dabrowski’s fifth appearance in a U.S. Open doubles quarter-final and she has reached the semifinals once before.

In mixed doubles, Fernandez and her first-time partner Jack Sock are the talk of the town and many people’s pick to win the title. Team Lululemon advanced to the quarter-finals on Sunday night thanks to a 6-4, 7-6(4) over Dabrowski and Max Purcell. Sock’s well-documented talent on the doubles court coupled with Fernandez’s infectious energy and flair means they are quickly gaining in popularity. Let’s hope that this isn’t a one-time partnership. What do you think their team name should be? We like Leylah’s suggestion.

It was pretty hard to miss this, but Serena Williams played the final match of her legendary career on Friday night and the greatest player of all time certainly went out in style. What a show she put on for three rounds with Arthur Ashe Stadium arguably as loud as it’s ever been. And if you haven’t watched her farewell speech, take the time to do so. Thank you for 25 years of memories, Serena.

What to Watch: The Business End of the U.S. Open

The Round of 16 will wrap up on Monday at the U.S. Open and already fans have been treated to some thrilling matches over the long weekend.

On the men’s side, there will be a new World No. 1 at the tournament’s end after Nick Kyrgios knocked out Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round. The contenders for the top spot are Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud. Meanwhile, Nadal remains undefeated in Grand Slams this season. Can the Spaniard win his third Major of the year?

On the women’s side, World No. 1 Iga Swiatek leads the way along with familiar names like three-time U.S. Open finalist Victoria Azarenka and Karolina Pliskova. On the bottom half of the draw, both quarter-final matches are set with Coco Gauff taking on Cincinnati champion Caroline Garcia, who is on a 12-match win streak, and Ons Jabeur going up against Serena slayer Alja Tomljanovic.

In addition, Canadians Kayla Cross, Mia Kupres, Victoria Mboko, Jaden Weekes, and Annabelle Xu will be competing in the U.S. Open junior event this week with aspirations of going home with some hardware.

Under the Radar:  Preparation for the Davis Cup Finals Begins

Team Canada is getting ready for the group stage of the Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals set to get underway in Valencia, Spain on September 13.

For the occasion, the Canadian squad will be represented by Gabriel Diallo, Liam Draxl, Alexis Galarneau, Cleeve Harper, and Vasek Pospisil. They find themselves in Group B and will face off against Spain, Korea, and Serbia. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knock-out stage of the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain from November 22-27.

At the U.S. Open last week, Félix Auger-Aliassime left the door open to the possibility of playing the event which would obviously be a huge boost for his Canadian teammates.

You can follow Canadians in action every week here.