The Sunshine Double wound down last week and now it’s time for the surface to soften. With the end of the Miami Open, clay is taking over.
Canadian content was limited in the second week of Miami, but now a group of Canucks are ready to get their feet dirty this week.
Here’s what you need to know.
What to Watch: Diallo’s speedy return
The ATP and WTA Tours officially make the switch to clay this week and a handful of Canadians are sliding across the dirt.
One slightly surprising entrant at the ATP 250 event in Bucharest this week is Gabriel Diallo, who suffered what looked to be a nasty ankle injury in the second round of the Miami Open. However, the 6’8 Montrealer is back in action this week on the European clay.
Diallo will kick off his campaign against Chun Hsin Tseng of Chinese Taipei in the first round and would meet top seed Sebastian Baez in the second. Bucharest will be just the second ATP Tour main draw of the 23-year-old’s career and he is searching for his first match win on the surface at tour level.
Read also: March Mailbag – Sharon Fichman on Getting Into Tennis and the Growth of the Women’s Game
A pair of Canadian women opted to start on the green clay of Charleston this week. Marina Stakusic has a blockbuster first-rounder against former world No. 3 Maria Sakkari. The winner would get to play third seed and current world No. 8 Qinwen Zheng in round two.
Katherine Sebov also competed in Charleston, coming through qualifying to enter her first WTA Tour main draw of 2025. However, she was beaten early on Monday in the first round by Katie Volynets.
Ariana Arseneault is also competing in her first WTA Tour main draw of the year on the doubles side this week in Bogota, Colombia. She and Oskana Kalashnikova are the fourth seeds at the WTA 250 event.
Click here for more news and results from the ATP and WTA Tours.
Under the Radar: Branstine Strikes in Santo Domingo
Canadians were back to their winning ways last week on the ITF circuit. The highlight came in Santo Domingo, where Carson Branstine won her first title of the season at the W50 event.
Branstine was the fourth seed and dropped just one set on her way to the title, that being in the semifinal against countrywoman Kayla Cross. The 24-year-old did also benefit from her opponents retiring in the quarter and semifinals. She was leading Cross 4-6, 6-0, 2-0 when Cross retired.
In the final, Branstine easily put away Ana Sofia Sanchez of Mexico 6-1, 6-3 to claim the seventh ITF singles title of her career. As a result, the Canadian leaps into the Top 200 of the WTA rankings for the first time in her career at No. 192.
There was nearly a second trophy coming back to Canada from Santo Domingo as the Arseneault twins, Mikael and Nicolas, reached the doubles final of the M25 event held simultaneously. They were beaten by third seeds Mateo Barreiros Reyes and Jesse Flores 4-6, 6-3, 10-5.
Read also: Canadian Doubles Players on the Rise in the NCAA
Benjamin Sigouin picked up his first title of the year at the M25 event in Calabasas, California, claiming the doubles with American Govind Nanda. The pair were the top seeds and only dropped one set on their way to victory. They capped it off with a win over Jayson and Michael Blando 6-2, 6-7(4), 10-1. It is the ninth ITF doubles title of Sigouin’s career.
Last week in Canada, the first two Fischer Indoor Junior Nationals were held in Verdun, QC, and Calgary, AB, with the U16 and U12 champions being crowned. This week, the U18s are competing at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto while the U14s are out west in Vancouver. CLICK HERE for more about the Fischer Indoor Junior Nationals.
Canada also plays host to an ITF Masters event this week in Vancouver.
Down in Houston, there is a large Canadian contingent competing at an ITF wheelchair event. Seven Canadians are in the various draws, including rising star Frédérique Bérubé Perron, who is participating in her first ITF event of 2025.
You can follow the Canadians in action every week here.
Feature photo courtesy: Mauricio Paiz
