The Canadian tandem of Duncan Chan and Alexis Galarneau were eliminated from the men’s doubles draw at the National Bank Open after a straight-sets defeat to Croatia’s Mate Pavic and El Salvador’s Marcelo Arevalo, the third seeds, on Monday in Montreal.
Experience and execution proved decisive
Pavic and Arevalo won 6-2, 6-4, a scoreline that reflected the gulf in service production and break-point opportunity conversion. The seeded pair converted an eye-catching 88 per cent of their total service points, a statistic that underlined their control of the contest and helped set up a semifinal meeting with either French duo Theo Arribage and Albano Olivetti or the tandem of Daniil Medvedev and Fabian Marozsan, whose match was suspended by rain with the French team leading by a set.
Chan, a Markham, Ont., native, and Galarneau, from Laval, Que., entered the week as wild cards and captured attention with back-to-back upsets before their run ended. In the opening round they defeated the team featuring German star Alex Zverev and Brazil’s Marcelo Melo. They followed that with a second-round victory over eighth seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert of France and Kevin Krawietz of Germany.
Against Pavic and Arevalo, the Canadians were unable to force a single break-point opportunity while surrendering three breaks on 11 chances presented to their opponents. The result highlighted both the wild-card duo’s limitations against elite doubles specialists and the value of serve-based dominance at tour-level events.
What the result means for Canadian doubles
The run to the quarterfinals will still be viewed as a positive step for Canadian doubles depth at a marquee home tournament. Wild cards producing wins over established names provides momentum for the pair and helps raise the profile of doubles within the national program.
- Match result: 6-2, 6-4 loss to Pavic/Arevalo
- Service points won by Pavic/Arevalo: 88%
- Notable victories for Chan/Galarneau this week: defeated Zverev/Melo and Herbert/Krawietz
| Round | Opponents | Score / Seed |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterfinal | Pavic / Arevalo | 6-2, 6-4 (third seeds) |
| Second round | Herbert / Krawietz | Upset of eighth seeds |
| First round | Zverev / Melo | Won (unseeded) |
Beyond the headline result, the match also served as a reminder that doubles at the highest level often comes down to serve consistency and the ability to convert scarce opportunities. Pavic and Arevalo’s proficiency on serve left little margin for error for the Canadian challengers.
With Pavic and Arevalo advancing, attention in Montreal now shifts to the semifinals, where the third seeds will await the winners of the rain-interrupted clash between Arribage/Olivetti and Medvedev/Marozsan. For Chan and Galarneau, the week will be remembered for bold performances on a national stage and for the experience gained taking down established opponents before running into one of the tour’s most effective doubles pairings.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
