The first few days of the 2025 BNP Paribas Open were challenging for the Canadians. Only Denis Shapovalov managed to make it through and he now finds himself facing a daunting task in the form of Carlos Alcaraz in Indian Wells.
But there were plenty of positives across the tennis landscape for the Canadians, including a couple of familiar faces lifting trophies on the ITF Tour.
Here’s what you need to know.
In Case You Missed It: One Canadian Makes It Through in Tennis Paradise
Five Canadians were in the main draws of the first combined 1000-level event of 2025 but only one made it to Monday, that being Denis Shapovalov. After a first-round bye, the Richmond Hillian easily defeated qualifier Adam Walton in straight sets.
Félix Auger-Aliassime and Leylah Annie Fernandez also had byes but lost their opening matches. Auger-Aliassime was beaten in straight sets by Jenson Brooksby while Fernandez fell in three sets to Jaqueline Cristian.
Gabriel Diallo was the other Canadian to pick up a singles win. He got into the draw as a lucky loser and took advantage, winning an epic two-day three-setter over Zhizhen Zhang to reach the second round, where he was beaten by 20th seed Arthur Fils.
In doubles, the draw gods were unkind and pitted Fernandez and her Brazilian partner Luisa Stefani against Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe in the first round. The second seeds Dabrowski and Routliffe rallied from a set down to win that clash but were defeated in straight sets in the second round by Anna Kalinskaya and Caty McNally.
Click here for more news and results from the ATP and WTA Tours.
What to Watch: Shapovalov Looks to End Alcaraz Three-Peat
All eyes, not just Canadian, will be on Stadium 1 at approximately 6 pm local, 9 pm EDT, on Monday as Denis Shapovalov takes on the two-time defending Indian Wells champion Carlos Alcaraz.
The pair have met just once before, with Alcaraz defeating the Canadian in the third round of Roland-Garros on clay back in 2023, making this their first meeting on a hard court.
Shapovalov is flying the flag for the Great White North this week as the only Canadian left at the BNP Paribas Open.
Under the Radar: Mboko Back at It, Shaw On the Board
Victoria Mboko wasted no time in putting her first loss of the season behind her. The 18-year-old Canadian went right back to her winning ways last week at the ITF W75 event in Porto, Portugal, claiming her fifth title already in 2025 in just six tournaments.
She did not cruise the whole way like she did in her first four title runs this year, needing three sets to defeat third seed Maja Chwalinska in round one and Anouk Koevermans in the semifinals. However, she dominated the final against Harriet Dart 6-1, 6-1.
The W75-level title is the biggest of Mboko’s career to-date. She is now 25-1 in 2025 (27-1 including qualifying). The teen will face a new challenge next week as her reward for the hot start to the season is a wild card to the WTA 1000 event in Miami. It will be Mboko’s first WTA 1000 main draw and first WTA Tour main draw at any tier since making her debut at the 250 event in Granby back in 2022.
Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivieres, QC played host to the first ITF tournaments in Canada this year last week, with Canada’s Dan Martin picking up the doubles title at the former.
Click here for the full recap of the Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivieres events.
After Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivieres kicked off the 2025 ITF swing in Canada, both the men’s and women’s tours will pass through Montreal this week for a M15 and W15 event at IGA Stadium
Rob Shaw picked up his first title of the season last week at an ITF Wheelchair Event in Rome, Georgia. The third time was the charm for Shaw and Aussie partner Heath Davidson in 2025 as they defeated Ahmet Kaplan and Andy Lapthorne 3-6, 6-2, 10-7 to claim the quad doubles title after losing in a pair of finals back in January.
The title is Shaw’s first of the year and 29th ITF doubles title overall. It was also a successful title defence for him and Davidson in Rome. Shaw is back at it this week, along with Thomas Venos, at a Super Series event in Baton Rouge.
Also this week, the ITF Masters World Championships are getting underway in Antalya, Turkey with the 30+, 35+. 40+ and 45+ Team Championships taking place. Canada will be represented in all four men’s events as well as the 30+ women’s draw.
You can follow the Canadians in action every week here.
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