Here are five Canadian storylines to watch for from Michael Gallo as the Australian Open kicks off Sunday evening on TSN.

 

BIANCA’S BACK

It’s been 15 months since we’ve seen Bianca Andreescu play a competitive tennis match and she’s finally set to make her return to the court. It seems like a lifetime ago when the now 20-year old lifted the U.S. Open trophy, only to see a long battle with various injuries to follow. With her body now rested and ready to compete again, it’s hard knowing what to expect when she returns at the Australian Open but it’s important to remember how well she played after a two-month layoff in 2019. Andreescu won 16-straight matches following her French Open withdrawal that year with a shoulder injury. Later in the year, it was the left knee that ended her season, and she hasn’t been on court since. A major beneficiary of the new rankings system, Andreescu is seeded 8th in the tournament due to a freeze on ranking points last year so she wasn’t handed a difficult draw. Her first-round match will be one of the most anticipated Canadian tennis matches since her triumph in New York when she takes on lucky loser Mihaela Buzarnescu on Sunday. Andreescu pulled out of the Grampians Trophy tune-up event this week but said she is fully fit and it was just precaution to help her preparation for the Australian Open.

 

 

DOWN UNDER DELIGHT

The Australian Open has quietly become the most consistent tournament for Milos Raonic. The pioneer for Canadian men’s tennis has made at least the quarter-finals in five of the last six years and owns a 76 per cent match winning record down under. That is a staggering difference from the 67% match winning record at the U.S. Open which is played on the similar hardcourt surface. What seems to be the difference? Raonic comes into the Australian Open well rested every year with normally only one tournament under his belt which limits the amount of work his body goes through during preparations. This leaves him fresh and playing at his highest level, whereas in New York, it’s following a long summer hardcourt season and the results have clearly been reflected on that. Raonic played two singles matches at the ATP Cup this week, defeating Dusan Lajovic before losing to Jan-Lennard Struff in two tiebreaks. A favourable first-round match against No. 92 Federico Coria goes Sunday while another possible blockbuster third-round match looms against Stan Wawrinka. The Canadian has beaten the three-time grand slam champion in all three of their major meetings.

 

YOUNG GUNS

Canada’s two young male phenoms are poised to take another step this year. Denis Shapovalov reached the top 10 for the very first time back in September following his quarter-final run in New York, becoming the first Canadian man to accomplish the feat since Raonic did back in 2014. A debut title in Stockholm followed and now the sights are set even higher for the 21-year-old. Shapovalov dropped two very tight matches at the ATP Cup against top-10 players Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev this week but it’s the necessary match play he needed heading into the Australian Open. He was dealt arguably the toughest draw of any seeded player against No. 36 Jannik Sinner, who has flown up the ranks the past twelve months. Meanwhile, Felix Auger-Aliassime started 2021 on a high note, making his seventh career ATP final this week at just 20 years of age. Although he came up short against Dan Evans and still awaits his debut title, the silverware is on the horizon and once he finally gets the first one, they will come in bunches. It’s a short turnaround for the Montreal native as he plays lucky loser Cedrik-Marcel Stebe in the first round just 24 hours after the Murray River Open final. Not getting too ahead of ourselves, but the young Canadian friends could face off in the third round should they both win their first two matches, which would already be their third grand slam meeting.

 

 

MARINO MAGIC

If you think Andreescu’s 15-month layoff was long, Rebecca Marino will be playing her first grand slam main draw in over eight years. It’s been a long road back for the former No. 1 ranked Canadian, and she’s got her sights on more than just a comeback to professional tennis. Marino quit the sport from 2013-2017 while experiencing depression and was dealt another challenge last year when her father passed away – who she says sparked her comeback. In 2018, the Vancouver native won her first three professional tournaments and she’s quickly shot up the rankings, breaking the top-150 two years ago before a season-ending foot injury. Marino went through qualifying without dropping a set last month and may have the most favourable matchup of all of the 128 players in the women’s draw. She takes on Australian wildcard Kimberly Birrell on Sunday, the 624th ranked player in the world.

 

 

DREADFUL DRAWS

Two Canadians trending on the way up over the past twelve months have been dealt difficult draws in the season’s first major. Vasek Pospisil, who has played lights out since the beginning of last year, will take on No. 4 and 2019 U.S. Open finalist Daniil Medvedev in the first round. Medvedev won their most recent matchup back in October but it was Pospisil who secured a major upset against the Russian a year ago in Rotterdam. The Vernon, B.C., native finished 2020 off strong with a fourth-round appearance at the U.S. Open before making his second ATP final of the year in Sofia. He did pull out of Great Ocean Road Open tune-up event this week with a back injury but he’s hopeful of pulling off another upset. Leylah Fernandez on the other hand enjoyed a season of incredible success in 2020 where she improved over 100 spots to No. 88 in the world. At just 17 years of age, Fernandez made her first WTA final last season in Acapulco and enjoyed a consistent debut season on tour. Now, with some experience under her belt, Fernandez played one tournament so far this year in Abu Dhabi where she defeated No. 96 Jasmine Paolini before losing in the second round to No. 87 Tamara Zidansek. Like Pospisil, she was dealt a tough draw right out of the gate as she takes on No. 18 Elise Mertens, who took home the title this week at the Gippsland Trophy event.