From Felix Auger Aliassime and Denis Shapavolov on the men’s side to Bianca Andreescu on the women’s side, there’s a lot to be said about the rising young talent in Canadian tennis.
A name that’s been under the radar is Brayden Schnur. However, he’s certainly changed that thanks to a big breakthrough week at the New York Open.
The 23-year-old had to win two matches in qualifying just to reach the main draw of the ATP 250 level indoor tournament. And while the former NCAA standout had not previously won an ATP level main draw match in his career, he would make up for it in style.
Schnur defeated Jack Mingie Lin, Steve Johnson, Paolo Lorenzi, and then Sam Querrey to reach his maiden ATP level final.
“I’m talking to my buddies and they’re saying your breakthrough week is going to come when you least expect it,” said Schnur. “Sure enough this week, I show up here, I’m pretty tired, came off having the flu.”
Schnur’s quest for his first ATP title came short as he would lose a tight three setter to American Reilly Opelka. Still, his brilliant run in New York will see him rise to No. 107 in the world.
“I’m emotional because this has been an amazing week for me,” said the former North Carolina Tar Heel at the trophy presentation.
“This is something that I dreamed of as a kid and there has been so many people that have helped me along the way. It’s too long of a list to thank them all but from the early mornings, my parents helped me so much,” he continued.
“If someone would have told me back in December that I would make an ATP final, I don’t think I would have believed them.“
Even though he’s still only 23, it’s been quite the journey for the 6’4” righty from Pickering, Ontario.
Having started out at the age of eight, Schnur quickly showed promised on the tennis courts. At the age of 14, he relocated to Florida to further his training. Schnur would return to Canada to be part of Tennis Canada’s National Training Centre (NTC) program. The program, which is based out of Jarry Park in Montreal, has turned out many talented young Canadian stars including Milos Raonic, Vasek Pospisil, Bianca Andreescu, and Eugenie Bouchard.
While he rose to No. 26 in the world junior boys singles rankings, Schnur also enjoyed success in the area of doubles as he teamed up with his good friend and fellow NTC member, Hugo DiFeo, to capture two high profile junior doubles titles in 2012.
Instead of turning pro upon the completion their junior careers, DiFeo and Schnur would both make the decision to further hone their skills in the NCAA.
In 2013, Schnur accepted a full scholarship to the University of North Carolina and would enroll in January of 2014. He excelled as a Tar Heel and was named the 2014 ITA National Rookie of the Year. The talented young Canadian also scored first team all ACC honours all three years he attended UNC.
Schnur would forego his senior year and turned pro in the summer of 2016. The former NCAA standout has seen a steady rise in his rankings over the past two and a half years. Schnur would finish 2016 ranked No. 545 in the world. At the end of 2017, he was ranked No. 197 in the world; and he completed 2018 ranked No. 176th.
And while he said during the trophy presentation that he didn’t see this breakthrough coming back in December, there has been solid indication that he’s trending in the right direction based on his strong results to start 2019.
After failing to qualify for the Australian Open last month, he would compete in the Newport Beach Challenger. Schnur would make it all the way to the finals where he would lose to American Taylor Fritz.
The young Canadian would then proceed to reach the quarterfinals of both the Cleveland and the Dallas Challengers.
Prior to the start of the New York Open, his ranking had climbed to No. 154 in the world.
Even though he arrived in New York after a bout with the flu, it was evident that the Canadian qualifier had plenty of fight left for the players he faced on the tennis courts. He came back from 2-5 down during the third set in the second round against Johnson; and fought off five match points in the final against Opelka.
Despite falling just shy of winning the title, Schnur takes pride in what he was able to accomplish in New York.
“It’s a dream come true for me. This week showed that I belong in these big tournaments and playing against the top guys,” he said.
In a sport where so much is played between the ears, Schnur’s breakthrough in New York not only serves as evidence that he can hang with the best, but it’s also demonstrated his mental toughness and has given him a new level of confidence in his game.
And for the talented 23-year-old Canadian, that’s a breakthrough that can only lead to bigger and better things ahead.
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