Local tennis sensation Avery Alexander has made her way to the national stage in 2026, on so many levels.
Roughly six months ago, the 16 year-old who first gained traction in the sport as a young phenom at the Sudbury Indoor Tennis Centre was invited to join the best of the best in the country, training at the National Tennis Centre in Montreal.
Earlier this month, the second rated junior female in the country capped off a very impressive summer run by earning an invitation to compete in the qualifying rounds of the National Bank Open hosted in Toronto after proving to be more than competitive in some early career professional matches.
While the signs were there from the moment that she could trade volleys with players three times her age in Sudbury, the refinement of her game jumped exponentially as Alexander availed herself to developmental opportunities in the sport at outposts in southern Ontario, Florida and elsewhere.
“The biggest thing that has changed is just my maturity, my confidence in my game,” said Alexander, a few weeks after outlasting 29 year-old Slovakian Martina Okalova 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 at the WTA 125 Odlum Brown VanOpen in Vancouver. “A couple of years ago, I was still trying to figure out my game and try and get comfortable competing at a higher level.”
“Now I find I understand myself as a player a lot more. It’s easier playing against good players and handling the ups and downs.”
Facing 23 year-old Polina Kudermetova, a Russian-born pro who reached the #54 slot in the world in 2025, Alexander came up just a little short in front of the hometown crowd, a 6-4, 6-4 setback providing ample support that her current trajectory is a positive one.
“I think there are a lot of things that I want to keep developing,” said Alexander. “Consistency is a big one, just being able to maintain my level of play throughout an entire match. I want to keep developing my serve return, becoming more tactically aware, especially when I am playing different styles of players.”
“And as I move in to the professional level, developing more physically, especially compared to these professional women. Learning how to handle these tougher matches is going to become really important.”
Given the rise of Canadian tennis in the past decade or two, there is no lack of role models for the 5’7” up-and-comer to emulate – and there is no better place to do so than at the Tennis Canada facility, generously sponsored by Rogers, opened in 2007 and currently home to 71 players, including 18 current pro tour athletes.
“Being around the players at the National Tennis Centre is really motivating,” said Alexander. “You’re surrounded by people who are all working towards similar goals to yours. It pushes you to raise your level every day.”
What has most surprised her, to some extent, is the off-court benefits that NTC has to offer, notably for the rising stars who are still growing into their bodies. “The fitness component there is great; you become so much stronger working with their program,” she said. “I feel like I have improved so much in that aspect.”
The most tangible payoff for all of the hard work came back on August 1st as Avery Alexander stepped on to Court 1 in Toronto. “It was such a surreal experience,” she said. “The atmosphere and the crowd, having so many people there who love tennis and support the event made it feel so special.”
“It’s cool to be around that level of excitement.”
And there is more to come.
In early September, Alexander will make her way to Flushing Meadows (New York), home of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre and host to the 2026 US Open Junior Championship – the first junior Grand Slam event of her career.
Though the tournament is scheduled to run from September 6th to the 12th, the draws are not yet finalized, with Alexander back in Montreal for a few weeks of fine-tuning before continuing on in a year which has seen her ascend to a whole other level.
A national level, to be sure.
