For the first time in Open-era history at Roland Garros, four Canadians will take their place in the third round of the singles event.
Denis Shapovalov, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Leylah Fernandez and Bianca Andreescu advanced on a thrilling Thursday during which the tournament cleared its backlog of matches to complete the third-round line-up.
All members of this Canadian quartet have previously shone on the Grand Slam stage.
But given their recent injury struggles, and the form dips that have followed, their progression in Paris has felt both notable and exciting.
The last time four Canadians reached this stage of a Grand Slam tournament? That was at the 2021 US Open, where Fernandez famously cut down a succession of big names to reach her first major final, and where Auger-Aliassime notched his first major semifinal.
Fernandez is the only one of the four yet to crack the top 10 – she has peaked at world No.13 – but she is also the one who has advanced to the Roland Garros quarterfinals.
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That was in 2022, and it was during that quarterfinal she sustained a stress fracture in her foot, a serious speed-bump which sidelined her for two months and which robbed her of significant momentum.
On Thursday, she saw off Wang Xiyu in straight sets – the first time she has gone beyond the second round at a major tournament since that injury.
She is also projected to return to world No.31, her highest ranking since August 2022.
A win over next opponent Ons Jabeur – the eighth seed who has won just eight matches this season – would be a further boost for the 21-year-old.
Fernandez’ fellow lefty Shapovalov equalled his best result at Roland Garros by overcoming 25th seed Frances Tiafoe in four sets.
A former world No.10 and 2021 Wimbledon semifinalist, Shapovalov is currently ranked outside the top 100 after a knee injury ruled him out of the second half of 2023.
Playing in Paris using a protected ranking, the 25-year-old belted 66 winners past Tiafoe – including 21 aces – to power into the last 32.
Shapovalov showed glimmers of his best during a recent third-round run at the Madrid Masters and will hope to maintain his momentum when he tackles eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz.
Auger-Aliassime, who has risen as high as world No.6, got past German qualifier Henri Squire in four sets on Thursday and has now won 10 of his past 13 clay-court matches.
He struggled with a knee injury in 2023 and within a year tumbled from the top 10 to a low of world No.36. But during a resurgent clay-court season, he reached the quarters in Munich and the semis in Madrid, and is now 19th in the live ATP rankings with his latest win at Roland Garros.
“Sometimes I know it was difficult for me to trust myself. I was hesitating. I could sometimes make mistakes,” Auger-Aliassime reflected.
“When you gain confidence, you make mistakes, but you think, ‘well, never mind that, think about the next shot’. In the past months I remember that these errors or faults had more impact on myself.
“So that's what I try and (work on) during my practice, and I think it's positive.
“I hope it's going to continue like this. The beginning of the tournament is really good.”
Of the four Canadians, none are more aware of the impact of injuries than Andreescu.
Once upon a time the highest-ranked of the quartet – she peaked at world No.4 in 2019 – and Canada’s only Grand Slam singles champion, she has made a stunning return to the courts in Paris.
Playing her first tournament in nine months after sustaining a stress fracture in her back, Andreescu upset No.23 seed Anna Kalinskaya in three sets to advance.
Next up is 12th seed Jasmine Paolini, and should Andreescu win that, it would be her first trip to the last 16 of a major since that same 2021 US Open.