Tennis Canada – Peter Polansky captures victory over compatriot Brayden Schnur in quarter-finals
– Tournament top-seed Blaz Kavcic remains in contention for title
– American No. 4 seed Caroline Dolehide reaches semifinals in singles and final in doubles

Toronto, July 15, 2017 –  Only one Canadian remains in competition for the crown at the Winnipeg National Bank Challenger following an exciting day of action on Friday. Peter Polansky eliminated his fellow countryman Brayden Schnur at the combined men’s and women’s $75,000 ATP Challenger and $25,000 ITF Pro Circuit Challenger event running from July 10-16 in Winnipeg.

No. 2 seed Polansky ousted the former University of the North Carolina tennis standout with a 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(2) victory in Friday’s marquee match at the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club. A tough competitor to beat, Polansky needed two hours and 16 minutes to put away the No. 7 seed.

Late in the deciding third set, Schnur saved a match point and broke Polansky, and continued on to force the tiebreaker. However, Polansky triumphed in the decider and recorded 12 of the match’s 23 aces to advance into Saturday’s semifinal action.
 
Polansky’s next test comes on Saturday in the form of No. 4 seed Yasutaka Uchiyama of Japan. The 24-year-old defeated Australia’s Max Purcell 6-4, 6-0 to set up Saturday’s meeting with Polansky. Their duel is the third match on the main court, at approximately 3 p.m. local time / 4 p.m. ET.

On the other side of the draw, top seed Blaz Kavcic of Slovenia meets Edan Leshem of Israel in the second semifinal. Kavcic secured his spot in the final four with a 6-2, 6-2 win against American Raymond Sarmiento in 62 minutes on Friday.

In women’s action, No. 1 seed Nicole Gibbs of the United States continued with her campaign for the title, and advanced on Friday following a come-from-behind win against France’s Jessika Ponchet. The world No. 117 defeated Ponchet 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 to book her spot in Saturday’s semifinals. She will meet No. 5 seed Mayo Hibi of Japan.

In the other women’s semifinal, No. 4 seed Caroline Dolehide squares off against Shilin Xu of China. It will be a busy Saturday for the American, as Dolehide is also set to battle for the doubles trophy.

Dolehide and partner Kimberly Birrell of Australia are set to take on No. 1 seeds Hiroko Kuwata of Japan and Russia’s Valeria Savinykh in the championship match.

The Winnipeg National Bank Challenger is a combined $100,000 professional men’s and women’s tournament, and runs from July 10-16 at Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club. Today’s order of play, live scores and full draws can be found on the official tournament website.

About Tennis Canada
Founded in 1890, Tennis Canada is a non-profit, national sport association with a mission to lead the growth of tennis in Canada and a vision to become a world-leading tennis nation. We value teamwork, passion, integrity, innovation and excellence. Tennis Canada owns and operates the premier Rogers Cup presented by National Bank WTA and ATP World Tour events, 10 professional ITF-sanctioned events and financially supports 12 other professional tournaments in Canada. Tennis Canada operates national junior training centres/programs in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary. Tennis Canada is a proud member of the International Tennis Federation, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the International Wheelchair Tennis Association, and serves to administer, sponsor and select the teams for Davis Cup, Fed Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and all wheelchair, junior and senior national teams. Tennis Canada invests its surplus into tennis development. For more information on Tennis Canada, please visit our website at www.tenniscanada.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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