Rob Shaw’s quest to reach all four Grand Slam finals stalled once again at the Australian Open in 2025. The Canadian wheelchair star was eliminated in the quad doubles semifinals for the third year in a row in Melbourne on Thursday by second seeds Andy Lapthorne of Great Britain and Sam Schroder of the Netherlands.
Playing alongside local favourite Heath Davidson, Shaw had reached the final four with an easy win over Diego Perez and David Wagner 6-0, 6-2 in the quarter-finals. However, the Canadian-Aussie could not solve the second seeds in the semis, bowing out with a 6-1, 6-2 loss.
Shaw reached the US Open quad doubles final in 2022 and the finals of both Roland-Garros and Wimbledon in 2023. The Australian Open remains the only major where he has not reached the title match.
Lapthorne and Schroder set the tone early, breaking Davidson in the opening game and then breaking Shaw to love as they raced out to a 4-0 lead. Davidson managed to hold to get the pair on the board but the Canadian was broken again as he served to stay in it at 1-5.
Read also: Fernandez Bested by Gauff in Australian Open Third Round
The second set started out in a similar vein, with the British-Dutch team winning eight of the first nine points to take a 2-0 lead. However, Davidson and Shaw mounted a push, breaking for the first time in the third game before the Canadian held to level the set at 2-2.
However, that proved to be the last gasp for the Canadian-Aussie tandem as they only mustered two more points the rest of the way. Both Davidson and Shaw were broken again as Lapthorne and Schroder finished off the match in just under an hour.
Shaw also competed in singles at the Australian Open but lost in the first round to world No. 2 Niels Vink in straight sets.
Read also: Canadians crash out of Australian Open singles draw
The 35-year-old is coming off a strong 2024 where he won two singles and seven doubles titles. However, a shoulder injury limited him to just one tournament after the Paralympic games in August. He bounced back well to start 2025, reaching back-to-back doubles finals in his first two events of the year before the semifinal loss at the Australian Open.
With Shaw’s defeat, Gabriela Dabrowski is the only Canadian left at the year’s first major. She and Erin Routliffe will meet Su-Wei Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko in the semifinals of the women’s doubles on Friday in Melbourne.
Tickets for the Davis Cup Qualifiers 1st Round tie between Canada and Hungary are now on sale. Join us February 1 and 2 at IGA Stadium in Montreal, as the Canadian team begins their quest for the 2025 Davis Cup Final 8. To access tickets at early-bird pricing, click here.
