It was a very successful first round for Canada at the 2021 United States Open, as five Canadians have advanced to the second round. In men’s tennis, all three Canadian men are off to round two, while two Canadian women have also advanced.
In men’s tennis on Monday, Felix Auger-Aliassime of Montreal, Quebec, the 12th seed, defeated Evgeny Donskoy of Russia, 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6. Meanwhile in women’s tennis on Monday, Leylah Annie Fernandez of Montreal defeated Ana Konjiuh of Croatia, 7-6, 6-2.
Then on Tuesday, Denis Shalpovalov of Toronto, Ontario, the seventh-seed, defeated Federico Delbonis of Argentina, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3, and Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, British Columbia upset the 28th seed, Fabio Fognini of Italy, 2-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, 7-6. Meanwhile in women’s tennis, 2019 United States Open champion Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ontario, the sixth seed, defeated Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5.
Of the five Canadian victories, the most impressive win came from Pospisil. Not only was Pospisil down two sets to love before winning the final three sets, the Canadian had 24 aces, compared to Fognini’s eight.
In the second round, Pospisil will face Ilya Ivashka of Belarus, Shapovalov will face Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain, Auger-Aliassime will face Bernabe Zapata Miralles of Spain, Fernandez will face Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, and Andreescu will face Lauren Davis of the United States. At first glance, only Fernandez would be a slight underdog in the second round, as the other four would be favourites.
