Fernandez, Auger-Aliassime, and Dabrowski seeded in their draws; Andreescu continues dynamic
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The official draw for the 2024 Wimbledon Championships was held today, with six Canadians set to compete on the prestigious grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Representing Canada are Leylah Annie Fernandez (Laval, QC), Bianca Andreescu (Mississauga, ON), Marina Stakusic (Mississauga, ON), Felix Auger-Aliassime (Montreal, QC), and Denis Shapovalov (Richmond Hill, ON) in the singles draw. Gabriela Dabrowski (Ottawa, ON) ranks as the third best team in the doubles draw, alongside her partner Erin Routliffe from New Zealand. Fernandez and Shapovalov will also take part in the doubles event.
Fernandez will spearhead the women’s singles draw, entering as the 30th seed. The 21-year-old Laval native is currently in the finals of a WTA 500 event on grass courts in Eastbourne, Great Britain, after defeating American and world No. 12 Madison Keys in the semi-finals. Fernandez will look to carry this momentum into Wimbledon, starting her run against Italian Lucia Bronzetti in the opening round. Should she advance, she could face wildcard Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark or American qualifier Alicia Parks in the second round. In doubles, Fernandez will team up with Japan’s Ena Shibahara.
Former world No. 4 Andreescu is making a strong comeback in her fourth tournament since returning to the circuit after a 10-month hiatus. Impressively, Andreescu reached the third round of the French Open and the finals of a WTA 250 event in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, where she defeated Naomi Osaka. Entering Wimbledon under her protected ranking, Andreescu will face Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian in the first round. A potential third-round match could see her seeking revenge against French Open finalist Jasmine Paolini of Italy.
19-year-old Stakusic will be making her Grand Slam main-draw debut after winning her three qualifying round matches. The Mississauga native recently delivered an impressive performance at the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals, where she played a pivotal role in Canada’s historic title win. In the opening round at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, she faces 27th seed Katerina Siniakova of Czechia. Should Stakusic progress past the second round, a challenging third-round match against world No. 1 Iga Swiatek potentially awaits.
Dabrowski, teaming up with Routliffe, enters the doubles draw as the third best ranked team. The pair has shown formidable form, capturing the US Open Championships last year and a recent title at a WTA 250 event in Nottingham, Great Britain. Dabrowski aims to go one better than her 2019 Wimbledon result, where she reached the doubles final.
Auger-Aliassime, seeded No. 17 at this year’s Wimbledon, aims to build on his recent successes, including a round of 16 appearance at the French Open and a final at the ATP 1000 in Madrid. The Montrealer, who begins his 2024 push against Australia’s Thanasi Kokkinakis, will look to surpass his 2021 Wimbledon performance, where he reached the quarterfinals. Potential matchups include Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in the quarterfinals and world No. 2 Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.
Shapovalov, using his protected ranking, returns to Wimbledon where reached the semi-finals in 2021, losing to eventual champion Djokovic. In the first round, he faces 19th-seeded Nicolas Jarry of Chile. A potential fourth-round clash with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner could be in the cards. In doubles, Shapovalov partners with Kokkinakis, marking his doubles debut at Wimbledon.