Weekend Roundup: Three Canadians advance to US Open quarterfinals
Labour Day weekend has come and gone which can only mean one thing: the second week of the US Open is in full swing!
Read on to find out which Canadians are still standing at the final Grand Slam of the year. Plus, catch up on the latest news from Team Canada athletes on the track, on the pitch, and beyond.
Double podium for De Grasse and Blake in Poland 🏃💨
Andre De Grasse continued his hot streak at the Continental Tour Gold meet in Chorzów, Poland on Sunday.
The sprinter took gold in the men’s 200m with a time of 20.21s, marking his fourth win in six races at this distance in 2021.
The race was De Grasse’s first 200m since Tokyo 2020, where he ran a national record time of 19.62s to earn his first Olympic gold medal.
READ: De Grasse wins Canada’s first 200m Olympic gold medal in 93 years
Jerome Blake finished just behind De Grasse at 20.32s to claim silver, giving Team Canada an impressive 1-2 finish.
Filippo Tortu of Italy took bronze with a time of 20.40s.
De Grasse will be in action again on September 9 in Zurich, Switzerland. He competes in the 100m and 200m events at the final Diamond League meeting of the season.
NHL stars will be back on Olympic ice at Beijing 2022 🏒
READ: NHL players confirmed to participate in 2022 Olympic Winter Games
It’s been a long time coming but the NHL, NHLPA, and IIHF finally announced on Friday that NHL players will be allowed to compete at the upcoming Beijing 2022 Olympics.
Although the news is exciting, a lot can change by February. Given the ongoing pandemic, the agreement stipulates that the NHL and NHLPA retain full authority to pull out of the tournament should COVID-19 conditions worsen or pose a threat to the health and safety of players.
Should NHL players take the ice in Beijing, it would be the first time they’ve skated at the Olympics since Sochi 2014.
Four artistic gymnastics medals in Slovenia 🤸
The FIG Art World Challenge Cup took place in Koper, Slovenia this past weekend and Team Canada showed up in a big way.
On Saturday, 21-year-old William Emard won silver in the men’s floor exercise with a score of 14.550.
Kirill Prokopev of Russia took gold with a score of 14.650 while Illia Kovtun of Ukraine finished third with 14.300 points.
Sunday was even more successful as 15-year-old Cassie Lee won gold in the women’s beam with a score of 13.050. She shared the podium with Ana Derek of Croatia (12.800) and Zoja Szekely of Hungary (12.200).
On the men’s side, Félix Dolci won two medals, claiming bronze in both the vault and horizontal bar.
RELATED: Team Canada’s rising stars capture 11 medals at Buenos Aires 2018
The 19-year-old scored 14.425 in the vault behind Andrey Medvedev of Israel (14.800) and Courtney Tulloch of Great Britain (14.625).
On the horizontal bar — the final men’s event of the weekend — Dolci scored 13.650 points for bronze. Maxime Gentges of Belgium won gold with a score of 13.800 while David Vecsernyes of Hungary took silver with 13.750 points.
Men’s soccer team earns draw with United States in 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier ⚽
The men’s soccer team earned an important away point against the United States in their 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier on Sunday, playing to a 1-1 draw in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Americans drew first blood as Brenden Aaronson put the home team ahead in the 55th minute, tapping the ball in off a quick counterattack.
But the Canadians kept their heads high and found the equalizer just seven minutes later as Alphonso Davies set up Cyle Larin for a tap-in of his own.
Team Canada now sits third in the CONCACAF group with two points in two games. After 14 qualifying matches, the top three teams in the eight-team group will earn qualification to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The fourth-place team will advance to inter-confederation playoffs, where the final two qualification spots will be determined in June 2022.
Canada will be at home in Toronto for their next match on Wednesday, September 8 against El Salvador at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Bianca, Félix & Leylah play on at the US Open 🎾
READ: US Open Updates: Fernandez and Auger-Aliassime in action on Tuesday
The US Open has been a coming out party, of sorts, for Canada’s young stars with 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez emerging as the next one to watch.
Just as a 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu took the tennis world by storm in 2019 to win Canada’s first Grand Slam singles title at the US Open, Fernandez looks to be riding a similar wave of momentum.
On Friday she took out defending champion Naomi Osaka in spectacular fashion. The teen dropped the first set 5-7 and found herself one game away from defeat in the second set with Osaka serving. Fernandez managed to fight back, eventually winning the match 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-4.
On Sunday she faced yet another challenge in the round of 16, this time in the form of former World No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber of Germany. And once again, Fernandez fought back from behind to win.
After dropping the first set, the Canadian found herself in a familiar predicament, down 5-4 in the second set and on the brink of defeat. With the crowd cheering on her every point, Fernandez managed to swing the momentum, taking the second set in a tiebreaker. Now playing with more confidence than ever, she cruised to a convincing victory in the third set, winning the match 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2.
Fernandez, who celebrated her 19th birthday on Monday, will face No. 5 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine on Tuesday for a shot at the semifinal.
Félix Auger-Aliassime has had an impressive tournament of his own, advancing to his second consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal.
On Friday he defeated Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in a five-set, nearly four-hour battle, taking the match 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the round of 16.
On Sunday he came up against Francis Tiafoe, emerging with a 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(7), 6-4 win.
Canada’s last man standing will face Carlos Alcaraz Garfia of Spain on Tuesday night in the quarterfinal.
After a frustrating year marred by injury, Bianca Andreescu was finally looking like herself again.
The 2019 US Open champion powered through the third round on Saturday, beating Greet Minnen of Belgium 6-1, 6-2. With the win, Andreescu improved her lifetime record at the tournament to a perfect 10-0.
Unfortunately, Andreescu’s win streak came to an end against Maria Sakkari of Greece in the Round of 16. The Canadian took the first set in a tiebreak (7-2) but then lost the second set in a tiebreak (8-6). The 17th seed completed the comeback by winning the third set 6-3.
Gaby Dabrowski is into the quarterfinals of the women’s doubles with Brazilian partner Luisa Stefani after the fifth seeds defeated Ukrainian duo Dayana Yastremska and Marta Kostyuk 6(5)-7, 6-4, 6-2 on Monday. Next up for Dabrowski and Stefani will be a meeting with the 15th-seeded Czech tandem of Lucie Hradecka and Marie Bouzkova on Wednesday.
