Canada’s Alexis Galarneau narrowly missed securing his debut Grand Slam main draw spot after a 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 defeat against Italy’s Federico Cina in the third qualifying round held in Paris on Thursday. Cina, aged 19, capitalized on five break points compared to Galarneau’s three, earning his first-ever Grand Slam main draw entry.
Galarneau, aged 27 and hailing from Laval, Quebec, had previously exited in the initial qualifying rounds at Roland Garros in the past two years. He stood as the lone Canadian to progress to the third round of qualifiers this season. The five Canadian players who had already secured spots in the clay court Grand Slam were assigned their first-round matchups in the recent draw.
In upcoming matches, Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, seeded fourth among the men, is set to compete against Germany’s Daniel Altmaier on Monday. Another Montreal native, Gabriel Diallo, was slated to face Australia’s James Duckworth on Sunday. Richmond Hill’s Denis Shapovalov will take on a qualifier or lucky loser.
On the women’s side, Burlington’s Victoria Mboko, seeded ninth, is scheduled to play against Czechia’s Nikola Bartunkova on Sunday. Laval’s Leylah Fernandez, positioned as the 24th seed, will confront Alycia Parks from the United States on Monday.