Leading the pack, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka is set to shine at the National Bank Open, an exciting tournament featuring 96 players, now with a fresh opportunity for a new champion following Victoria Mboko’s unexpected withdrawal.
Tennis Canada proudly announced that a remarkable 72 of the top 75 players from the WTA Tour are participating in the Aug. 2-13 event at Sobeys Stadium.
“With this being the second year of our enhanced 12-day format, fans will have unprecedented chances to experience world-class tennis and all the excitement that Toronto has to offer this August,” expressed tournament director Karl Hale in a recent statement.
Belarusian powerhouse Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, will be joined by second-ranked Elena Rybakina from Kazakhstan and Poland’s third-ranked Iga Swiatek. This tournament stands out as one of the ten WTA 1000 events on the calendar.
Among other notable participants are the fourth-ranked Jessica Pegula, who clinched consecutive NBO titles in 2023 and 2024, along with fellow Americans Amanda Anisimova (No. 6) and Coco Gauff (No. 7).
Canadian Leylah Fernandez, ranked 24th in the world from Laval, Quebec, and wild-card entrant Bianca Andreescu from Mississauga, Ontario, currently ranked 180th, also secured their spots in the main draw.
“Competing in front of my home crowd is always incredibly special,” Andreescu shared during a recent conference call. “The audience provides that added motivation and unwavering support to push through.”
Mboko, hailing from Burlington, Ontario, announced on Tuesday that she would not be defending her title due to a left knee injury sustained last month at the HSBC Championships.
Last year, Mboko triumphed over Japanese star Naomi Osaka in the Montreal final, showcasing incredible skill by defeating four former Grand Slam champions on her way to securing her first WTA Tour title.
Prior to her injury, Tennis Canada had promoted her return with plans for a spotlight evening match on Aug. 5 for her title defense.
The specifics of her replacement for that match remain uncertain, as scheduling meetings were slated for after the July 31 draw for the US$7.43-million tournament.
Among the competitors, four former NBO champions are in the lineup.
Beside Pegula, Ukraine’s eighth-ranked Elina Svitolina (champion in 2017) is returning, along with 11th-ranked Swiss Belinda Bencic, who captured the title in 2015. Andreescu herself celebrated victory in 2019.
American tennis legend Venus Williams is already confirmed as a wild-card entry, but the status of her sister, the 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, for one of the six additional wild-card spots remains unclear.
The 44-year-old is making a comeback this season but recently injured her knee during her first competitive singles match in four years at Wimbledon.
Tennis Canada will unveil the remaining wild-card selections later this month.
“At this moment, we don’t have complete insight into Serena’s plans or schedule,” a Tennis Canada spokesperson stated via email. “We would be delighted to welcome her back to Toronto with open arms.”
“Serena is a true legend of the game, a three-time NBO singles champion, and her retirement announcement in 2022 during our tournament created a special bond with our event and its fans.”
The top 32 seeds will receive first-round byes, while a one-day qualifying round is scheduled for Aug. 1.
Meanwhile, Andreescu, who has faced various injuries lately, recently qualified for her first Grand Slam main draw in nearly two years at Wimbledon.
“It was an incredibly emotional moment for me,” Andreescu recalled. “I needed to truly absorb the significance of that experience.”
The 26-year-old Canadian faced China’s Zhang Shuai in the first round.
The entry list for the ATP Tour’s National Bank Open in Montreal will be released on Thursday, as the men’s and women’s tournaments occur simultaneously, alternating between the two host cities each year.
