Monday Digest: Stakusic Launches 2024 Campaign in San Diego

2023 ended with a bang for Marina Stakusic. Her heroics on the Billie Jean King Cup Finals launched her into the highlight, leaving followers excited to see what she needed to provide in 2024. 

It took almost two months for the teenager to make her debut this yr, however when she did it was the beginning many have been hoping for. 

Right here’s what that you must know on this mid-week Digest. 

What to Watch: Welcome Again, Marina 

Marina Stakusic burst onto the scene with three wins in 4 matches to assist information Workforce Canada introduced by Sobeys to the Billie Jean King Cup title final November, with the phrases “A Star is Born” plastered everywhere in the media and web. The query was then “what’s subsequent for Marina Stakusic?” 

The 19-year-old is competing in her first occasion because the Billie Jean King Cup Finals this week on the WTA 500 occasion in San Diego. She already has three wins underneath her belt, claiming a pair of qualifying matches to get into the primary draw after which defeating one other Marina, Marina Melnikova, in three units for her first most important draw win at a WTA Tour occasion since Granby in 2022 and her first ever on the 500 degree. 

Learn additionally: Stakusic Dazzles in Billie Jean King Cup Debut

Subsequent up for Stakusic is No. 7 seed Donna Vekic. 

Leylah Annie Fernandez was additionally competing in San Diego, however after profitable the primary set of her first-round match towards Tatjana Maria in a tiebreak, she retired down 4-0 within the second set with a shoulder damage. 

It was a brief week for the Canadian males, as each Félix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov misplaced within the first spherical from a arrange at their respective ATP 500 occasions.  

Auger-Aliassime misplaced his opener in Acapulco in three units to Italian qualifier Flavio Cobolli whereas Shapovalov misplaced to Andy Murray in Dubai. 

Rebecca Marino was competing on the WTA 250 occasion in Austin however misplaced her first-round match to Sachia Vickery. 

Click on right here for extra information from the excursions.

In Case You Missed It: Dabrowski Comes Shut in Dubai 

Gabriela Dabrowski made one more deep run at an enormous occasion final week on the WTA 1000 occasion in Dubai, reaching the semifinals of the doubles with Erin Routliffe.  

The US Open champions reached their fifth semifinal within the final seven occasions on the WTA 1000/Grand Slam/WTA Finals degree, avenging their Australian Open semifinal loss to Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko within the quarters earlier than falling within the ultimate 4 to the eventual champions Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova. 

Shedding to the eventual champion was a standard theme for the Canadian ladies in Dubai. Leylah Annie Fernandez was crushed within the second spherical of the singles by eventual champion Jasmine Paolini. Fernandez had crushed Bernard Pera in straight units within the first spherical. 

Below the Radar: Victory for Sigouin 

For the third week in a row, a Canadian was victorious on the ITF World Tour. 

This week, it was on the boys’s aspect as Benjamin Sigouin received his fifth ITF doubles title, lifting the trophy on the M25 occasion in Naples, Florida with Mac Kiger.  

The most effective Canadian outcome from a lady got here in Mexico, the place Stacey Fung reached the quarter-finals of a W50 occasion in Mexico Metropolis. 

Canadians noticed some success on the junior circuit final week, with one title and one runner-up efficiency. 

On the J30 within the Baja California, Mexico, Antoine Genereux and Andy Tchinda Kepche received the title towards a home-favourite pair. At a J60 occasion in Oslo, Norway, Anastasia Malysheva and Andrea Taylor reached the ultimate, the place they misplaced in straight units. 

This week, it’s a barely quieter week with only some Canadians competing on the decrease circuits. 

You’ll be able to comply with the Canadians in motion each week right here.