In this edition, we catch up on the progress of Canadian women’s tennis players at the Adelaide International and the Australian Open. We also check in on recent PWHL Takeover Tour games across Canada and celebrate a new U.S. attendance record. Lastly, we highlight Canadian athletes who have qualified for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, kicking off in just 16 days.

CANADIAN WOMEN MAKE tennis HISTORY IN AUSTRALIA

Canadian tennis opened the season with a strong showing on the international stage, led by Victoria Mboko’s breakout run in Australia. Mboko advanced to the women’s final at the Adelaide International, where she faced Russia’s Mirra Andreeva. While the title went to Andreeva, Mboko’s performance marked a big early-season impact.

She carried that momentum into her Australian Open debut, advancing to the second round so far after defeating Australia’s Emerson Jones. Currently ranked No. 16 in the WTA rankings, Mboko continues to build on a standout year that also named her the WTA Newcomer of the Year following her National Bank Open win in Montreal this past summer.

This year’s Australian Open marked a historic milestone for Canadian women’s tennis, with Mboko joined in the singles draw by Leylah Fernandez. It was the first time in the Open Era that Canada has had two seeded women competing in the Australian Open singles main draw. Fernandez was eliminated in her opening round against Indonesia’s Janice Tjen, but the moment highlighted the growing presence of Canadian women on the sport’s biggest stages.

Eugenie Bouchard is the current Canadian women’s player who has made it the furthest in the Australian Open, having reached the semifinals in 2014.

PWHL TAKEOVER TOUR continues with success

The PWHL Takeover Tour continues to demonstrate the growing demand for women’s hockey across North America. Halifax, Nova Scotia has now hosted the tour twice, drawing sold-out crowds of 10,438 and 10,452 fans at Scotiabank Centre, reinforcing the city’s reputation as a strong women’s hockey market.

Hamilton also saw success with their Takeover game, welcoming 16,012 fans to TD Coliseum, while Quebec City followed with 14,624 fans in attendance at Videotron Centre. Each stop has contributed to the league’s broader strategy of testing and strengthening potential future markets for women’s hockey.

In the United States, Washington set a new attendance record for women’s hockey, drawing 17,228 fans to Capital One Arena. The crowd marked the largest ever for a women’s hockey game in U.S. history.

OLYMPICS UPDATE: TEAM CANADA ROSTER TAKES SHAPE

With the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics just 16 days away, Team Canada has begun announcing the athletes who will represent the country on sport’s biggest stage. Athlete qualification updates have rolled out across ski jumping, cross-country skiing, ice hockey, speed skating, curling, figure skating, and snowboarding, offering an early look at the depth of Canadian talent heading to Italy.

Women’s hockey will once again be anchored by professional experience, with 23 players on the roster who currently compete in the PWHL.

The Games will also mark Olympic debuts for several athletes, including cross-country skiers Alison Mackie, Amelia Wells, Jasmine Drolet, Liliane Gagnon, and Sonjaa Schmidt; long track speed skaters Beatrice Lamarche, Carolina Hiller-Donnelly, Laura Hall, and Rose Laliberté-Roy; ice hockey forward Daryl Watts; snowboarder Juliette Pelchat; and ski jumpers Natalie Eilers and Nicole Maurer.