Winning a Grand Slam is a dream for most tennis players, but for some, winning a single match is a remarkable accomplishment.
Only the 128 best players in the world qualify to play at the four major tournaments, the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open.
In 2024 and 2025, only two players have won Grand Slams, as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz continue to dominate on the ATP Tour.
Competition is fierce at majors, and some players need their fair share of luck to even qualify for the tournaments.
Back in 2018, one Canadian ATP star had luck on his side at all four Grand Slams, as he made tennis history.
Peter Polansky became the first player to qualify for all four Grand Slams as a lucky loser
Canada’s Peter Polansky had only qualified for one of the previous 14 Grand Slams leading into the 2018 season.
Primarily a Challenger Tour player, Polansky entered the qualifying draw for the Australian Open as the number-26 seed.
Winning his first two matches without dropping a set, he led by a set to love in the third round of qualifying, but couldn’t get the job done.
- 2018 Australian Open Q1 – Peter Polansky defeated Joao Domingues, 7-6, 6-4
- 2018 Australian Open Q2 – Peter Polansky defeated Christian Harrison, 6-2, 7-5
- 2018 Australian Open Q3 – Peter Polansky lost to Yuki Bhambry, 6-1, 3-6, 3-6
Luckily for Polansky, he was granted a spot in the main draw as a lucky loser, where he lost to Russia’s Karen Khachanov in straight sets.
Moving on to Paris, Polansky lost in the third round of qualifying again, this time in straight sets.
- 2018 French Open Q1 – Peter Polansky defeated Norbert Gombos, 2-6, 7-6, 6-2
- 2018 French Open Q2 – Peter Polansky defeated Peda Krstin, 6-4, 6-2
- 2018 French Open Q3 – Peter Polansky lost to Jozef Kovalik, 6-7, 6-7
Awarded a lucky loser spot for the second tournament in a row, the Canadian managed to take a set off home-favorite Pierre-Hugues Herbert in round one, before losing in four.
Continuing his remarkable streak at Wimbledon, Polansky fell at the final hurdle to Australia’s Jason Kubler in qualifying.
- 2018 Wimbledon Q1 – Peter Polansky defeated Yang Tsung-hua, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
- 2018 Wimbledon Q2 – Peter Polansky defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, 7-5, 6-2
- 2018 Wimbledon Q3 – Peter Polansky lost to Jason Kubler, 6-7, 3-6, 7-6, 4-6
Given another spot in the main draw as a lucky loser, Polansky arguably had his best chance of winning a Grand Slam match at Wimbledon when he played qualifier Dennis Novak.
He was no match for the Austrian on the grass, however, losing in straight sets.
Completing the set… Polansky lost in the third round of qualifying at the US Open and was lucky enough to make it through to the main draw for the fourth Slam in a row.
- 2018 US Open Q1 – Peter Polansky defeated Sergio Gutierrez Ferrol, 6-4, 6-4
- 2018 US Open Q2 – Peter Polansky defeated Santiago Giraldo, 7-6, 6-4
- 2018 US Open Q3 – Peter Polansky lost to Donald Young, 5-7, 6-1, 3-6
Becoming the first player in the Open Era to qualify for all four Grand Slams in a calendar year as a lucky loser, Polansky had this to say in an interview with TSN.
“I think it’s actually quite an accomplishment. I’m not sure if it’s going to happen again. Just the fact of getting in four times in a row as a lucky loser, none of the great players are going to be able to do it because they are consistently in the main draw,” he said.
“It is a tough thing to do, just to go through qualies and lose every single time in the last round. You’ve got to win your two matches, and then not only that, you have to get lucky with the draw, someone needs to pull out of the tournament, and you have to get picked, and be ranked high enough.
“So, there are a lot of factors that come into play. I just don’t think that’s ever going to happen again. So, I’m kind of happy to be a part of it. It’s not the best way to get into the tournament, but it’s something I’m taking pretty lightly, and I’m enjoying it.”
Polansky couldn’t make the most of the opportunity as he lost to Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the first round.
Unfortunately for Polansky, his luck ran out after the US Open, and he never qualified for the main draw of a Grand Slam again.
Now 37 years of age, the Canadian still has just one Grand Slam win to his name.
Peter Polansky’s sole Grand Slam win
Advancing through to the US Open main draw via qualifying, Polansky took on the seeded Argentinian, Juan Monaco in 2010.
Picking up the biggest win of his career, Polansky defeated Monaco in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6, 6-3.
Carrying that momentum forward, he looked well placed to secure another upset in round two, taking the first set against James Blake, but eventually lost in four sets.
He may not have added to his Grand Slam win tally, but Polansky still enjoyed a solid career on the Challenger Tour, picking up four titles, reaching a career-high ranking of 110th in the world.
Polansky also held the distinction of being the top-ranked Canadian player for several months between 2010 and 2011, and won eight matches for his country at the Davis Cup.
The 37-year-old last played a professional match in qualifying at the 2023 Canadian Open, where he lost in round one to Max Purcell.
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