SHERBROOKE, March 10, 2018 (Press Release)
Two Canadians were in action on Friday looking to secure a spot in the semi-finals at the Subaru Sherbrooke Futures presented by Énergie 106.1. Sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the tournament, which offers $25, 000 U.S. in total prize money, will be held from March 3-11, 2018 at the Christian Bourque indoor tennis courts of the Rock Forest Recreation Centre in Sherbrooke.
The first Canadian in action on Friday was Filip Peliwo (Vancouver, BC), the tournament’s second seed. Playing in Sherbrooke for the ninth time, the Canadian was looking to reach the semi-finals for the third time, having previously made deep runs in 2014 and 2016. Standing in his way was American qualifier Michael Redlicki, who is still in search of his first singles title on the professional tour. It was the Canadian who jumped out to the early lead, but his strong serving opponent was quick to respond. After saving a set point, Peliwo went on to take the first in a tiebreak. Both players struggled on serve in the second, with the Canadian committing more faults than his counterpart. In the decider, Peliwo battled back from an early deficit but was ultimately unable to get the win, falling by a score of 7-6(4), 2-6, 6(5)-7 after over two hours of play.
The last Canadian left in the main draw was Brayden Schnur (Pickering, ON), the tournament’s third seed, who had the tough task of facing the big-serving American Chris Eubanks. The American came out strong, firing aces past his opponent early in the first, but Schnur held his own throughout the set to bring it to a tiebreak where a double fault by Eubanks ended the set. In a match where long rallies were few and far between, Schnur capitalized on his opportunities to defeat his opponent in a little over an hour by a score of 7-6(4), 6-4. The Canadian reaches the semi-finals for the second time in Sherbrooke.
Earlier in the day, Dominik Koepfer of Germany, the tournament’s fifth seed, overpowered 19-year-old Ugo Humbert of France 6-4, 6-4. The young Frenchman was fresh off his title run in Gatineau, his second title in as many tournaments. The German will face JC Aragone of the United States, who won his quarter final match against the Belgian Joris De Loore 7-5, 7-5. The American reached the doubles final at the Gatineau Futures last week.
The final match of the day on Friday was the doubles final, where Luke Bambridge and Joe Salisbury were crowned champions over Adrien De Loore and Joris De Loore by a score of 6-3, 7-5.
The Subaru Sherbrooke Futures presented by Énergie 106.1 is the second in a series of three tournaments that will be played in Quebec during the months of February and March. The event will be followed by the Drummondville National Bank Challenger.
