FERNANDEZ, ABANDA, SEBOV AND POLANSKY STILL IN THE RUNNING IN GRANBY
Four of the six Canadians who played in the quarter-finals of the Granby National Bank Challenger have advanced to the next round. Held from July 22 to 28 at Club de tennis des loisirs de Granby, the tournament features a mixed draw, with the men competing in the $81 240 ATP Challenger event and the women in the $80 000 ITF World Tennis Tour event.
On Friday, Katherine Sebov (Toronto, ON) set the stage with a strong win over fellow Canadian Layne Sleeth (6-2, 6-1). Currently on a spectacular run, Sebov has lost only four games in her first two matches. The Toronto native feels at home in Granby and it shows in her results. She is taking part in her third consecutive Granby Challenger semi-final and will be attempting to reach her second final following her first appearance in 2017. She faces Lizette Cabrera of Australia.
A few hours later, Françoise Abanda (Montréal, QC) took to the court to ensure her presence on the last weekend. Returning after a long hiatus due to a shoulder injury, she qualified for the semis by ousting Mayo Hibi of Japan in two sets (7-6(3), 6-3).
After sending the first seed packing, up-and-comer Leylah Annie Fernandez (Laval, QC) posted her eighth consecutive victory when she showed Australian Maddison Inglis (7) the door (6-3, 6-4). The two had met earlier in the season in a match in which the Canadian had the final say in a third-set tiebreaker. She may not have dropped a set today but Fernandez still had to fight for every point.
Everything is now in place for a repeat of last week’s semi-final showdown at the Gatineau National Bank Challenger between Fernandez and Abanda, who claimed the first set but had to retire with a 5-1 lead in the second.
Finally, in the last match of the day, Canadians Peter Polansky (Thornhill, ON) and Steven Diez (Toronto, ON) went head-to-head. Polansky, who was finalist in 2017 and raised the winner’s trophy in 2018, continues to fare well in Granby. He earned a 6-3, 7-6(4) win over his countryman and now faces Yasutaka Uchiyama of Japan.
