TORONTO — Up 5–3 in the second set of his first-round match, Peter Polansky craned his neck back behind him toward the sky, the rim of his blue cap no longer able to shield the sun, and watched his opponent’s shot sail out of bounds, and then out of the court entirely.
If Polansky, one of two Canadians in action on the first day of the Rogers Cup, felt he had regained control of the match after dropping the first set to American qualifier Tim Smyczek, the next point would confirm it. A determined forehand to the opposite corner sent Smyczek flailing for the ball. Again the shot went flying out of the court, this time to his left and into the small spattering of fans sweating it out on the modest steel bleachers of Court One. Polansky won the second set, and swept the third to take the match 4-6, 6–3, 6–0.
It capped off a successful day for the Canadians in action, though at first it didn’t seem that this would be the case.
For starters, a foreboding, thunderous light show stormed through the grounds in the morning hours. Then, under grey skies—before the sun heated the courts as if shone through a magnifying glass—Toronto’s Steven Diez, the other Canuck in action during Monday’s day session, also found himself down after one set of play. But if the weather was meant as an omen for what was to come for the local contingent, Diez missed the message.
“That was really fun—really happy,” Diez said after the match, which he considers the biggest win of his young career. “I still don’t have a lot of words to describe what just happened. I know I played pretty well.”
This is true. After dropping the first set 3–6 to Kyle Edmund, Diez was in control for the rest of the match, winning the final two 6–3 and 6–2 , thanks in large part to a solid return game that was in top form Monday.
“I knew if I kept on going, everything was possible, so I’m really happy to win here in front of my home [crowd],” he said.
Despite top names like Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and Rafael Nadal—all former Rogers Cup champions—skipping out this year, the tournament remains a top-tier stop on tour and still manages to attract some serious international talent. But beneath it’s outer layer as a Masters 1000-level event, the it also serves as an annual showcase for Canadian talent and the state of tennis in this country.
With nine total players in the main draw in Toronto and Montreal, there is hope that fans will have even more reason to cheer as the week progresses.
The fact that none of the four Canadians wild cards playing in the qualifying rounds this past weekend managed to advance, however, was less than ideal for Tennis Canada. Fifteen-year-old junior star Félix Auger-Aliassime, who made to the semifinals at Wimbledon and the finals at the French Open junior tourney, lost his match on Sunday. So did Philip Bester, a perennial crowd favourite thanks in part to the comeback story he provided at this event last year.
So when Diez dropped his first set on Monday at the tourney’s opening match, it seemed, albeit briefly, the tennis gods were simply piling it on.
At 192 in the ATP rankings, Diez was granted a wild-card birth here and entered the match 108 spots lower than his opponent. It was his first appearance in the main draw at the Rogers Cup, a deserved accomplishment after winning three Futures titles this year and securing his spot as the third-highest ranked Canadian on tour.
His opponent, Edmund, is a promising British 21-year-old with two quarterfinal appearances under his belt this year, most recently at the Queen’s Club tournament, where he lost to the eventual champ Murray.
Polansky, who also made his main-card draw debut at this tournament as a wild card, back in 2006, has been a fixture here ever since, appearing every year except 2011. Prior to Monday, however, the 28-year-old had only managed to advance past the third round three times.
He’d met his opponent, the 29-year-old Smyczek, thrice before—with Smyczek owning a 2-1 record—though never at the ATP level. As their match wore on, Smyczek appeared to tire, which might have something to do with the fact that he had to play two matches this weekend, including another three-setter yesterday, to qualify.
“He kind of lost his gas in the third set, it was pretty hot out there,” Polansky said of his opponent. When asked about Diez’s win, Polansky acknowledged the opportunity Canadians have to make noise at this tournament.
“Steven D. has had some good results [this year],” he said, “coming out and beating Edmund here, it’s a good win for him. I took advantage of my wild card here. He took advantage. So it’s great to have some Canadians in the second round and moving forward.”
Now all attention shifts to Denis Shapovalov, at 17 the youngest player in the tournament and fresh off winning the junior tournament at Wimbledon. It’ll be a tough test and potential star-turn for Shapovalov, born in Israel and raised in Richmond Hill, Ont., as he faces world No. 19 Nick Kyrgious Monday evening.
Also later tonight, Toronto’s Frank Dancevic will face Sam Querrey, while Vasek Pospisil plays Tuesday night, and Milos Raonic hits the court for the first time on Wednesday, after receiving a first-round bye.
As for Diez, he awaits the winner of Bernard Tomic vs. Alejandro Gonzalez. Polansky will face the winner of Radek Stepanek vs. Benoit Paire, with a chance to go further in this tournament than he has in a decade’s worth of chances.
