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First Serve: Canadians on the pro tour this week

First Serve: Canadians on the pro tour this week

There was no thought of Canadian Milos Raonic taking a last-minute wild card into the big ATP Tour event in Dubai this week, where world No. 1 Novak Djokovic and world No. 2 Roger Federer return to action after a post-Australian Open break.

Instead, the 24-year-old, who lost early to the Italian Simone Bolelli last week in Marseille, France, will take the week to prepare for Canada's big Davis Cup tie against Japan in Vancouver.

Genie Bouchard, whose tournament play has been sparing so far in 2015, isn't playing either in Doha, or in Acapulco where she played a year ago. After withdrawing from last week's event in Dubai less than 24 hours after being awarded a wild card with an arm injury, the Canadian stopped off in New York to attend the NBA All-Star game.

She's currently in southern California, where new coach Sam Sumyk is based, and reported in from the Los Angeles Laker game Sunday night as well from a tough beach workout.

The Canadian is now training in California, where new coach Sam Sumyk is based. (Instagram)
The Canadian is now training in California, where new coach Sam Sumyk is based. (Instagram)

Assuming all is well with the arm, Bouchard is due to return to action next week at a small tournament in Monterrey, Mexico.

Meanwhile, Canadian Vasek Pospisil continues his tour of Europe and the Middle East, and found himself saddled with the toughest draw imaginable in Dubai. He will play Djokovic in the first round.

Pospisil also is playing doubles with Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin. Toronto's Daniel Nestor and partner Rohan Bopanna also are in Dubai; they defeated Djokovic and young Serbian compatriot Laslo Djere 6-2, 7-5 in the first round on Monday.

Promising teenager Françoise Abanda, the 18-year-old from Montreal, is playing her second straight $25,000 women's event in the U.S.

After reaching the semi-finals last week in Surprise, Arizona, Abanda should move up about 20 spots from her current WTA Tour ranking of No. 253 when the results from event are added in (small ITF events of that type are processed a week later than regular WTA Tour events).

This week, Abanda is in Rancho Sante Fe, California.

Also in California are Carol Zhao, a former top junior currently studying at Stanford University, and a few youngsters including 16-year-old Katherine Sebov, who is in the qualifying.

Click here to keep up with all the Canadian results this week.