Ottawa's own Gabriela Dabrowski is once again making the city proud on the pro tennis circuit, advancing to the Round of 16 at the Cincinnati Open alongside her doubles partner, Czechia's Barbora Krejcikova.
The pair needed all three sets to get past the fourth-seeded team of Spain's Cristina Bucsa and American Nicole Melichar-Martinez, grinding out a 6-3, 1-6, 10-4 win in the Round of 32. That final number is the deciding "super tiebreak" used in doubles instead of a full third set, and Dabrowski and Krejcikova dominated it, closing things out 10-4 after dropping the second set.
An Ottawa star on the world stage
Dabrowski has long been one of Ottawa's most accomplished athletic exports, building a career that's taken her from the courts of the Rideau Tennis Club as a junior to Grand Slam finals on the biggest stages in the sport. She's a former world No. 1 in doubles and a Grand Slam champion, and she's carried the city's name with her at tournaments across the globe for over a decade.
Cincinnati is one of the premier stops on the WTA calendar, part of the lead-up swing to the US Open, and results here matter both for ranking points and for momentum heading into New York. A three-set win over a seeded team is exactly the kind of statement victory that can carry into a deep tournament run.
What's next
With the Round of 32 win in hand, Dabrowski and Krejcikova move on to face tougher competition in the Round of 16. Doubles tournaments move fast, often with matches on back-to-back days, so Ottawa tennis fans won't have to wait long to see how far this pairing can go.
For a city that doesn't always get top billing in national sports coverage, having a hometown player consistently competing — and winning — at the top level of professional tennis is a point of real pride. Local tennis clubs and coaches who came up through the same Ottawa junior system Dabrowski did often point to her career as proof that world-class results can start right here.
Ottawa sports fans looking to follow along can catch updates on the Cincinnati Open through the WTA's official channels as the tournament progresses through its later rounds this week.
Source: CBC Ottawa
