An under the weather underdog: How one Canadian tennis player is turning heads in New York

An under the weather underdog: How one Canadian tennis player is turning heads in New York

February 15, 2019 Off By Jordan Stoopler

In a tennis tournament whose main draw contained 10 Americans and which takes place in the United States’ largest city, one would expect for the American representatives to steal the show and make all the headlines. However, at this year’s New York Open on Long Island, it is a few Canadians who are making a name for themselves at the Nassau Coliseum, most notably Pickering, Ontario native Brayden Schnur.

Schnur began the week ranked 154 in the world and a part of the qualifying draw, hoping to book his spot into the main draw of the tournament. He beat 17-year-old American junior Cannon Kingsley in straight sets 7-6(3), 6-3 on Sunday before disposing of young Aussie Alexei Popyrin 6-4, 7-6(8). Popyrin was on a bit of a roll heading into the tournament, having made the third round at the Australian Open, defeating Mischa Zverev and Dominic Thiem before bowing out against eventual semi-finalist Lucas Pouille in the third round.

Having made the main draw, Schnur got what many might consider a lucky break, drawing a 19-year-old sophomore at Columbia University by the name of Jack Ming Jie Lin.

Lin, originally hailing from the neighbouring town of Markham, had earned a wild card into the main draw by winning a college invitational pre-qualifying tournament last November, featuring 32 students from 16 New York-area schools. Lin was playing in his first-ever ATP professional match on Stadium Court in primetime.

Nevertheless, he had a large contingent of supporters at his match, including his parents, who made the drive down from Canada, as well as his coaches and teammates from Columbia decked out in their light blue Columbia tennis attire. They got pretty loud, cheering and urging Lin on between just about every point.

Schnur remained undeterred by the loud cheers for his opponent, defeating the youngster 6-1, 6-3 in straight sets. Following the match, Schnur offered his compatriot a pat on the back and some words of encouragement in what promises to be a bright career.

Schnur had little time to rest, as he was scheduled to play American Steve Johnson the following night. Johnson, the number- three seed in the tournament and 34th ranked player overall, had received a bye in the first round and was playing his first match of the week, compared to Schnur’s third in as many days. Naturally, the crowd was on his side, as Schnur was forced to contend with a similar position as the night before with fans cheering on his opponent at the other side of the net, apart from three individuals in the far end of the court who Schnur claimed he did not know.

Once again, Schnur remained unperturbed by the raucous cheers, defeating Johnson in three sets 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(4) in a match lasting a little over two hours and handing the American his ninth consecutive loss on the ATP tour. It did not come easy, however, with the Canadian staving off two match points and breaking back on serve with his opponent serving for the match.

Following the match, an exasperated Schnur called the win the “biggest of his career.”

Schnur got a much-deserved day off from action to recuperate on Thursday before playing veteran Italian Paolo Lorenzi in the quarter-finals on Friday.

What makes this story all the more astounding is the fact that these two main draw wins were the first in the career of Schnur. He has had success on the Challenger circuit, making two finals in his career, including late last month in Newport Beach, California (Schnur lost to American Taylor Fritz in straight sets in the finals). He also has made two quarter-finals appearances in Challenger events this year.

Add to that the idea Schnur is just getting over a flu bug that affected him for two weeks. All throughout the week, he could be seen hacking into a towel between points and fist-bumping his opponents and the chair umpires at the conclusion of his matches, as opposed to the traditional handshakes.

Regardless of Friday’s outcome, Schnur is assured of moving up to a career-best ranking of 129 in the world when the new rankings are released on Monday.

Perhaps Schnur’s “coming-out party”, if you will, on the ATP Tour this week on American soil is fitting. Schnur spent three years playing college tennis at the University of North Carolina, with the Tar-Heels from 2014-2016, and was named an all-American three times. His birthday is also, fittingly, on the 4th of July, America’s independence day.

By the time the tournament is over, Schnur could very well conquer the hearts of not just his native Canada, but the many American tennis fans who may wish to adopt him as one of their own.

Can Brayden Schnur continue his improbable run all the way to the New York Open title?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
CategoryMore Sports Tennis
TagsATP Tour Brayden Schnur canada New York Open tennis