Two Trophies Two: The Grassy Knoll
Big winning week here in the run-up to Wimbledon! First up, Rebecca Marino clawed her way through the W100 Ilkley tournament in style, eventually downing Jessica Ponchet of France in a three-set comeback win. She’s putting together the kinds of results she needs to make it back into the top 100, and hopefully she can appear in the main draw in Wimbledon this year.
The other win was in Wichita, Kansas, where Cadence Brace absolutely dominated the field, taking 4 straight-set wins on the way to a closely fought final against the American Victoria Hu, who has appeared all over the high-end ITF draws over the last year. Wichita also featured a little chain of Canadians - Jada Bui beat Dasha Plekhanova in the qualifying finals, but was then defeated by Kayla Cross in the R32, who then retired against the 5th seed Jessica Failla, who Brace took down in the semifinals.
Can’t go without mentioning Milos Raonic’s world record match - 47 aces in a three-setter against Cam Norrie, beating the old record by a pair. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to go deep in the tournament, with Taylor Fritz holding onto an exceedingly close pair of sets. Raonic has looked fantastic and has already returned to being the 3rd-ranked Canadian guy on tour, but it appears he will not be showing up at Wimbledon, which is a damn shame.
Felix Auger-Aliassime retired in the second set of his first match this week - hopefully it was precautionary, but it’s been a stop/go season for him.
Wimbledon qualifiers coming up this week!
Gabriela Dabrowski - WTA Birmingham, 2nd
R16 w/Routliffe def by Minnen/Watson (3-6, 2-6)
17 - Felix Auger-Aliassime - ATP Halle, 8th
R32 def by Dominik Koepfer (GER) (4-6, 3-4 ret.)
32 - Leylah Fernandez - WTA Birmingham
QF def by Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) (6-1, 3-6, 2-6)
R16 vs Viktorija Golubic (POL) (4-6, 7-5, 6-3)
R32 vs Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP) (6-1, 6-1)
116 - Denis Shapovalov -
156 - Milos Raonic (NTC) - ATP London
R16 def by Taylor Fritz (USA, 4th) (6-7, 4-6)
R32 vs Cam Norrie (AUS) (6-7, 6-3, 7-6) (record breaking aces)
160 - Bianca Andreescu (NTC) -
162 - Rebecca Marino - ITF Ilkley
FINAL vs Jessika Ponchet (FRA) (4-6, 6-1, 6-4)
SF vs Kimberley Birrell (AUS) (7-5, 4-6, 6-4)
QF vs Daria Snigur (UKR) (6-3, 6-3)
R16 vs Ranah Akua Stoiber (GBR) (6-1, 7-6)
R32 vs McCartney Kessler (USA, 4th) (4-6, 6-3, 6-3)
166 - Gabriel Diallo (NTC) - CH Ilkley
R32 def by Titouan Droguet (FRA) (5-7, 7-5, 3-6)
QRF vs Matteo Martineau (FRA) (6-3, 5-7, 6-3)
QR1 vs Li Tu (NZL) (6-3, 6-7, 6-3)
170 - Alexis Galarneau (NTC) -
172 - Marina Stakusic (NTC) - ITF Ilkley
QF def by Elsa Jacquemot (FRA) (4-6, 6-7)
R16 vs Taylah Preston (AUS) (6-1, 6-2)
R32 vs Katarzyna Kawa (POL) (6-1, 6-3)
220 - Katherine Sebov -
250 - Liam Draxl (College) -
257 - Carol Zhao (NTC) - ITF Ilkley
QRF def by Ipek Oz (TUR) (1-6, 6-2, 4-6)
QR1 vs Sophie Chang (USA) (6-2, 6-3)
304 - Victoria Mboko (NTC) -
317 - Stacey Fung -
337 - Carson Branstine (College) -
437 - Steven Diez -
459 - Filip Peliwo* - ITF Tulsa
R16 def by Nicolas Ian Kotzen (USA) (3-6, 6-2, 2-6)
R32 vs Matt Hulme (AUS) (6-2, 6-7, 6-1)
487 - Cadence Brace (NTC) - ITF Wichita
FINAL vs Victoria Hu (USA) (7-5, 4-6, 6-3)
SF vs Jessica Failla (USA, 5th) (6-3, 6-4)
QF vs Kate Fakih (USA) (6-2, 6-1)
R16 vs Bronte Murgett (GBR) (6-1, 6-4)
R32 vs Giorgia Roselli (ITA) (6-0, 6-0)
522 - Eugenie Bouchard (NTC)
611 - Kayla Cross (NTC) - ITF Wichita
QF def by Jessica Failla (USA, 5th) (4-6 ret.)
R16 vs Dasha Ivanova (USA) (6-3, 6-0)
R32 vs Jada Bui (CAN, Q) (6-1, 6-2)
625 - Justin Boulais (College) - ITF Rancho Santa Fe, 5th
R32 def by Collin Altamirano (USA) (7-5, 6-7, 4-6)
626 - Vasek Pospisil
635 - Isabelle Boulais
672 - Layne Sleeth
813 - Juan Carlos Aguilar
817 - Ana Grubor - ITF Rancho Santa Fe, 4th
R32 def by Kaila Barksdale (USA, Q) (4-6, 5-7)
821 - Dan Martin -
855 - Dasha Plekhanova - ITF Wichita
QRF def by Jada Bui (CAN) (2-6, 0-6)
QR2 vs Theodora Xantava (GRE) (6-2, 6-2)
869 - Taha Baadi -
891 - Brayden Schnur (NTC)
896 - Bianca Fernandez (College)
967 - Jessica Luisa Alsola - ITF Rancho Santa Fe, 6th
R16 def by Julieta Pareja (USA) (6-3, 6-7, 2-6)
R32 vs Katie Codd (USA) (6-3, 6-1)
968 - Alexia Jacobs
Jada Bui - ITF Wichita
R32 def by Kayla Cross (CAN) (1-6, 2-6)
QRF vs Dasha Plekhanova (CAN) (6-2, 6-0)
QR2 vs Julie Bedard (USA) (6-1, 6-3)
Kelsey Stevenson - CH Blois, 2nd
R16 w/Taylor def by Potenza/Whiting (1-6, 4-6)
Jaden Weekes - ITF Monastir
R32 def by Fabien Salle (FRA, 5th) (5-7, 6-7)
QRF vs Victor Sklenka (CZE) (6-1, 6-7, 10-7)
QR2 vs Robin Nguy (HKG) (3-1 ret)
QR1 vs Maksym Khlyvniuk (UKR) (6-1, 6-0)
Benjamin Thomas George - ITF Rancho Santa Fe
R32 def by Strong Kirchheimer (USA, 2nd) (2-6, 4-6)
Cleeve Harper - ITF Tulsa
R32 def by Nicolas Ian Kotzen (USA) (6-2, 4-6, 5-7)
QR2 vs Connor Bruce (USA) (3-6, 6-3, 10-3)
QR1 vs Eric Hadigian (USA) (6-4, 6-2)
Nicaise Muamba - ITF Tulsa
QR2 def by Nicolas Ian Kotzen (USA) (7-5, 5-7, 8-10)
QR1 vs Ian Bracks (USA) (6-4, 6-1)
Numa Lemieux-Monette - ITF Koszalin
QR2 def by Jack Karlsson Wistrand (4-6, 3-6)
QR1 vs Mikolaj Kowal (POL) (6-3, 6-2)
Nick Lagaev (College) - ITF Rancho Santa Fe
QR1 def by Colton Smith (USA) (2-6, 2-6)
Henry Ren - ITF Tulsa
QR1 def by Gabrielius Guzauskas (USA) (4-6, 5-7)
Frederick McRae - ITF Casablanca
QR1 def by Alberto Nordio (ITA) (2-6, 6-7)
Ghouse Ali Faisal - ITF Casablanca
QR1 def by Hamza Karmoussi (MAR) (3-6, 3-6)
Tymofiy Khrystyuk - ITF Koszalin
WALKOVER
Jun Yan Trevor Tham - ITF Monastir
WALKOVER