The last Canadian hope at Wimbledon faded Tuesday as Ottawa’s own Gabriela Dabrowski and her partner Erin Routliffe were eliminated in the women’s doubles quarterfinals. The fifth-seeded duo fell to the American pair Taylor Townsend and Peyton Stearns in a tightly contested match that ended 7-6(5), 6-3 on Court 2.
Dabrowski, who has proudly represented our capital city on international courts for years, showed her characteristic grit throughout the tournament. The elimination marks a disappointing end to what had been a promising Wimbledon campaign for the 32-year-old Canadian veteran.
“These Grand Slam tournaments always bring unique challenges,” Dabrowski noted in her post-match comments. “We had our opportunities today but couldn’t convert at crucial moments.”
The match pivoted on a tense first-set tiebreaker. After exchanging breaks early, both teams held serve to force the tiebreak where the Americans edged ahead 7-5. That momentum carried Townsend and Stearns through a more decisive second set.
For Dabrowski, who has built her reputation as one of the world’s premier doubles specialists, the loss stings particularly as Wimbledon remains the only Grand Slam where she hasn’t reached at least the semifinals in women’s doubles. Her trophy case includes mixed doubles titles from both the Australian Open and the French Open.
The Ottawa native had entered this year’s tournament with renewed optimism following strong performances on grass courts leading up to Wimbledon. Her partnership with New Zealand’s Routliffe, which began last season, had shown promising results on the WTA tour.
Tennis Canada’s high-performance director Louis Borfiga expressed disappointment but remained positive about Dabrowski’s outlook. “Gabriela continues to perform at an elite level, and while today’s result isn’t what we hoped for, her consistent presence in the late stages of major tournaments speaks volumes about her abilities.”
Local tennis enthusiasts who gathered at the Ottawa Tennis and Lawn Bowling Club to watch the match expressed pride in their hometown star despite the outcome. The club, where Dabrowski trained in her formative years, has become a regular viewing spot for her major matches.
“She puts Ottawa tennis on the world map,” said longtime club member Margaret Williams. “Even when results don’t go her way, watching Gaby compete at this level inspires our junior players tremendously.”
With Dabrowski’s exit, Canada’s presence at the prestigious grass court tournament comes to an end. Earlier in the fortnight, Denis Shapovalov, Bianca Andreescu, and Leylah Fernandez all bowed out of their respective singles competitions.
Looking ahead, Dabrowski will now shift her focus to the North American hard court season, culminating in the US Open in late August. Her consistent performances in major tournaments have kept her among the top 10 doubles players in the world rankings for much of the past five years.
“There’s always disappointment when you don’t go as far as you’d like,” Dabrowski said. “But that’s tennis. We’ll take the lessons from this match and build toward the next tournament.”
For Ottawa’s tennis community, Dabrowski’s journey from the local courts to the grand stages of Wimbledon continues to be a source of immense pride, regardless of today’s result.
