Gabriela Dabrowski

Gabriela "Gaby" Dabrowski (born April 1, 1992) is a Canadian professional tennis player. She reached her highest WTA singles ranking of 164 on November 3, 2014 and her highest doubles ranking of 40 on May 25, 2015. She is trained by her father Yurek.

Early life

She played in her first provincial tournament, when she was 8. Her first big victory was at the provincial 10 and under Future Stars at 9 years old. Gabriela was a finalist at the Ontario 14 and under Provincial Championships and finished in the top 8 at the 14 and under National Championships.

Tennis career

2006–12

At the beginning of 2006, she became the first Canadian to win Les Petits As, one of the most prestigious 14 and under tournaments in the world. In December 2006, Dabrowski reached the doubles final of the 16 and under Orange Bowl in Miami. Gabriela also won the Junior Orange Bowl in December 2009 where she defeated top-seeded Kristina Mladenovic. She was the first Canadian to capture the title since Tennis Hall of Famer Carling Bassett-Seguso did it as a 15-year-old in 1982. At the junior event of the Australian Open in January 2010, Dabrowski was a runner-up in doubles with partner Tímea Babos. In November 2011, she made it to her first professional singles final at the ITF $50,000 tournament in Toronto, but lost to qualifier Amra Sadiković. Dabrowski reached, in November 2012, the semifinals of the ITF $75,000 Challenger in Phoenix.

Australian Open

The Australian Open is a major tennis tournament held annually over the last fortnight of January in Melbourne, Australia. First held in 1905, the tournament is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events of the year – the other three being the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. It features men's and women's singles; men's, women's and mixed doubles and junior's championships; as well as wheelchair, legends and exhibition events. Prior to 1988 the tournament had been played on grass. Since 1988 two types of hardcourt surfaces have been used at Melbourne Park – green Rebound Ace to 2007 and blue Plexicushion from 2008.

The Australian Open typically has high attendance, second only to the US Open. It was also the first Grand Slam tournament to feature indoor play during wet weather or extreme heat with its three primary courts, the Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena and the refurbished Margaret Court Arena equipped with retractable roofs.

History

The Australian Open is managed by Tennis Australia, formerly the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia (LTAA), and was first played at the Warehouseman's Cricket Ground in Melbourne in 1905. This facility is now known as the Albert Reserve Tennis Centre.