Olympics - Canadians discover 1st. Round opponents
The draw for the tennis event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games has been made. Félix Auger-Aliassime (Montreal, QC), Leylah Fernandez (Laval, QC), Gabriela Dabrowski (Ottawa, ON) and Sharon Fichman (Toronto, ON) are all set to compete for Team Canada on the hard courts of the Ariake Tennis Park from July 24 to August 1.
In the men’s singles draw, No. 9 seed Auger-Aliassime will face two-time Gold medalist Andy Murray of Great Britain in his first-round match. The 20-year-old enters the tournament following an impressive run to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, where he was beaten by eventual finalist Matteo Berrettini of Italy. Should the young Canadian advance past Murray - against whom he holds a 1-0 record - and his second round opponent, he could face No. 11 seed Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain in round three, with a potential matchup with No. 2 seed Daniil Medvedev of Russia to come in the quarter-finals.
In the women’s singles draw, Fernandez – competing in her first Olympics – will take on Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine in round one. The 18-year-old from Quebec could go on to face No. 11 seed Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic in the second round followed by No. 12 seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, who she beat in Billie Jean King Cup action in February 2020. Her opening round match against Yastremska will be their first-career meeting.
In doubles, Gabriela Dabrowski and Sharon Fichman, who are the No. 7 seeds, will team up to face Brazil’s Luisa Stefani and Laura Pigossi in the first round. Should they win, the Canadian duo will take on Karolina Pliskova and Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in the second round with a potential quarter-finals matchup against the United States’ Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jessica Pegula, who are the No. 4 seeds.
The entry list and draw for the mixed doubles event will both be published on Tuesday July 27.