Laval captures first women’s national tennis title; Toronto claims bronze

LAVAL, Que. — The Université Laval Rouge et Or captured their first-ever women’s team title at the Canadian University Tennis Championships on Saturday, edging the defending champion Alberta Pandas 4-3 in a thrilling final at Parc Saint-Victor.

The victory avenged Laval’s loss to Alberta in last year’s championship match and capped a perfect week for the RSEQ champions.

After dropping two of three doubles matches, Laval rebounded in singles to win four of six tightly contested contests. 

Alberta won the first point in doubles Alexandra Jewitt and Emma Rutherford defeated Érica Di Battista and Minnie Kim 8-4, while Emily Granson and Sonia Skobkareva added an 8-1 win. Laval’s lone doubles win came from Émilie Corbett and Marie-Laurence Denis, who cruised to an 8-2 result in the third and final match.

In singles, Denis sparked the Rouge et Or comeback with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win over Granson. Kim followed with a gritty 3-6, 6-0, 7-6(5) victory over Jewitt, while Maya Thabet and Janic Durocher sealed the title with comeback wins on courts four and five, respectively. Alberta earned points from Rutherford and Sandra Taskovic, but it wasn’t enough to deny Laval the national crown.

Varsity Blues earn dominant bronze medal win

Earlier in the day, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues secured the bronze medal with a dominant 7-0 win over the Dalhousie Tigers.

The Varsity Blues swept all three doubles matches and didn’t drop a single set in singles en route to their second bronze and third all-time medal at the national championship.

Winnie Wing Yee Choi and Kaira Xuan picked up an 8-6 win in doubles, while the teams of Anastasiya Dyadchenko and Maria Popova, and Linda Lee and Felina Ziyan Yang, recorded victories respectively.

In singles, Toronto cruised to six straight-set wins, including commanding performances from Dyadchenko, Závišková, Vanasse Wilbert, Yang, Aboosaidi, and Lee. The Blues won all 15 sets and 96 of 121 total games in the match.

The 2025 Canadian University Tennis Championships conclude Sunday with the men’s national final, as the Western Mustangs take on the UBC Thunderbirds for the title. UBC is seeking its third championship in four years, while Western is aiming for its second crown and first since 2016-17.

Championship All-Star Team / Équipe des étoiles

• Emma Rutherford (Alberta)
• Alexandra Jewitt (Alberta)
• Marie-Laurence Denis (Laval)
• Maya Thabet (Laval)
• Anastasiya Dyadchenko (Toronto)
• Anna Nicolela (Dalhousie)
• Most Valuable Player

Most Valuable Player / Joueuse par excellence

• Emma Rutherford (Alberta)

Rookie of the Year / Recrue de l'année

• Minnie Kim (Laval)

Fair Play Award / Prix de l'éthique sportif

• Erica Di Battista (Laval)

Coach of the Year / Entraîneurs de l'année

• Laval (Jacques Bordeleau, Christian Gingras, Kelly Georges)