Ottawa’s very own Gabriela Dabrowski made Canadian history at the 2017 French Open, becoming the first Canadian woman to win a Grand Slam title with her 2-6, 6-2, 12-10 mixed doubles win.
She and her partner Rohan Bopanna of India were able to take home the title in just 90 minutes of play, defeating Germany’s Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Colombia’s Robert Farah.
Grönefeld previously won the mixed doubles title back in 2014 on Paris’ clay court alongside her old partner Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands. The German was looking for history to repeat itself this year, but double-faulted on a match point in the final set to cost them the game – allowing Dabrowski and Bopanna to win their first Grand Slam title.
The last time a Canadian woman made a run for this title was over two decades ago back in 1995. Peterborough native Jill Hetherington and her partner John Lafnnie de Jager of South Africa made it all the way to the mixed doubles final in Paris, but would ultimately fall to Larisa Savchenko Neiland of Ukraine and Australian Todd Woodbridge.
This historic win brings Dabrowski amongst the likes of Daniel Nestor, Sébastien Lareau and Vasek Pospisil – the only other Canadians to ever win a major doubles title.
25-year-old Dabrowski has an impressive track record to back up her win, having played in six Grand Slams prior to this, representing Canada at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, earning a gold and silver at the 2015 Pan American Games, and taking home WTA doubles titles four years in a row.
