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As Indian Wells and Miami near, Denis Shapovalov is back in Dubai, and Félix Auger-Aliassime is back in Acapulco.
There’s Leylah Fernandez in San Diego, and four more Canadian women in the qualifying in San Diego and Austin.
Marina Stakusic, heroine of the BJK Cup-winning team last fall, is finally getting her 2024 season under way, with a wild card in California.
Alexis Galarneau, who got back in action at a Challenger in Tenerife last week and was planning to play another one this week, withdrew.
Also missing this week is Gabriel Diallo, who was on the alternates list in Acapulco but not on the qualifying list. He would have ended up getting in.
And, of course, Bianca Andreescu.
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Abierto Mexicano Telcel
Acapulco, Mexico (ATP 500)
Singles
Félix Auger-Aliassime
1st rd: lost to [Q] Flavio Cobolli (ITA) 26 63 62
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Cymbiotika San Diego Open
San Diego, Calif (WTA 500)
Singles
[8] Leylah Fernandez
1st rd: lost to Tatjana Maria (GER) 76 (7) 04 retd
[Q] Marina Stakusic
1st rd: def [Q] Marina Melnikova (RUS) 64 57 61
2nd rd: lost to [7] Donna Vekic (CRO) 64 36 63
Singles qualifying
Marina Stakusic
1st rd: def. [3] Maria Timofeeva (RUS) 62 30 retd
Final rd: def. [11] Elsa Jacquemot (FRA) 63 64
Stacey Fung
1st rd: lost to [4] Claire Liu (USA) 63 64
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Dubai Duty Free Championships
Doha, Qatar (ATP 500)
Singles
[PR] Denis Shapovalov
1st rd: lost to Andy Murray (GBR) 46 76 (5) 63
Singles qualifying
[WC] Vasek Pospisil
1st rd: lost to [8] Richard Gasquet (FRA) 76 (4) 63
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ATX Open
Austin, Texas (WTA 250)
Singles
[Q] Rebecca Marino
1st rd: vs. lost to [Q] Sachia Vickery (USA) 62 64
Singles qualifying
[8] Rebecca Marino
1st rd: def [WC] Lyla Middleton (USA) 62 63
Final rd: def. Gabriela Lee (ROU) 16 63 64
Carol Zhao
1st rd: lost to [5] Sachia Vickery (USA) 57 76 (4) 61
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Movistar Chile Open
Santiago, Chile (ATP 250)
Singles
[4] Alejandro Tabilo (CHI)
1st rd: Bye
2nd rd: def Tomas Barrios Vera (CHI) 62 75
QF: def. [WC] Luciano Darderi (ITA) 60 75
SF: def [Q] Corentin Moutet (FRA) 46 64 75
F: lost to [2] Sebastian Baez (ARG) 36 60 64
Doubles
Alejandro Tabilo / Tomas Barrios Vera
1st rd: def Théo Arribage / Luca Sanchez (FRA) 67 (4) 64 [10-5]
QF: def. [2] Andrea Pellegrino/ Andrea Vavassori (ITA) 75 46 [10-7]
SF: def [3] Nicolas Barrientos (COL) / Rafael Matos (BRA) 26 64 [10-6]
F: def [WC] Orlando Luz (BRA) / Matias Soto (CHI) 62 64
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SMT Cup
Tucuman, Argentina (ITF $25K)
Singles
[1] Liam Draxl
1st rd: def. [Q] Federico Aguilar Cardozo (URU) 62 75
2nd rd: def Alex Marti Pujolras (ESP) 62 62
QF: def. [Q] Joaquin Aguilar Cardozo (URU) 76 (5) 06 76 (4)
SF: lost to [4] Pedro Sakamoto (BRA) 75 61
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Giammalva Elite Academy Open
Spring, Texas (ITF $25K)
Doubles
Rhea Verma / Elena Mireles (USA)
1st rd: lost to [3] Maria Kononova / Maria Kozyreva (RUS) 64 61
Singles qualifying
Rhea Verma
1st rd: lost to [9] Akasha Urhobo (USA) 64 75
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ITF WTT Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar
Manacor, Mallorca (ITF $15K)
Singles
Ana Grubor
1st rd: lost to Celia Cervino Ruiz (ESP) 64 57 75
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Egypt 5 Sharm El Sheikh
Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt (ITF $15K)
Singles qualifying
Zelimir Rudan
1st rd: def [15] Lu Pengyu (CHN) 76 60
2nd rd: def. George Gregorioiu (GRE) 64 63
Final rd: lost to [8] Michal Krajci (SVK) 60 64
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About Post Author
I was impressed with Stakusic’s play this week especially after being off for so long. I expected her to be totally outclassed by Vekic, but she hung tough. A good quality to have. Hope to see her climb steadily in the rankings.
She has always hung tough against the few better players she has played, often gone three sets.
This is the easy part of the career – when you have little to lose, everything to gain, almost no pressure and your opponents have never heard of you.
Especially when you’re playing the bigger events.
Will be interesting to see what she can do this year, because she’s going to have to play a bunch of them where there are no TV cameras, players ranked lower that she’s “expected” to beat. Not the “big leagues”.
She’s steady. And she seems to be competing well.
The question will be whether she can get better, while competing in tournaments. This is hard to do simultaneously.
What she’s got might well get her into the top 150 fairly quickly. After that, it gets a lot tougher. The pyramid gets narrower in a hurry.
As (more or less) everyone knows: in juniors, Stakusic’s best end-of-the-year ranking was #38, Timofeeva’s #33 (she has recorded several significant scalps recently: Beatriz Haddad Maia, Wozniacki, Cornet, won Budapest in 2023), Jacquemot’s #1 (yes, first in the world, as a result of being Roland Garros junior champion in 2020). Their ages at this moment in time are respectively 19, 20, 20 — players from the same generation basically. Their current WTA rankings are respectively #283, #103, #162. Eh, bien, Messieurs, Dames, at San Diego this week, apparently the least ranked in WTA for now, also the least proficient from this informal troika in the juniors, Stakusic, has swept away the other two, I mean in straight sets. Congratulations.