MONTREAL — Félix Auger-Aliassime has charted his course toward potential triumph.
The men’s draw for the National Bank Open presented by Rogers was finalized Friday, just in time for the Canadian tennis championship kicking off this weekend.
With a career-high ATP ranking of fourth and proudly stepping onto the court as the No. 2 seed in his hometown, Auger-Aliassime is set to begin his quest in the second round against either Luca Van Assche or a qualifier.
If the 25-year-old continues to advance, he could potentially face off against Italian No. 6 seed Flavio Cobolli, the French Open finalist, in the quarterfinals.
Despite never securing an ATP Masters 1000 title, Auger-Aliassime has a chance to change the narrative, as no Canadian has won the singles event in the Open era. Meanwhile, Denis Shapovalov from Richmond Hill, currently ranked No. 68, will make his debut against Zachary Svajda from the United States.
The top seed, Alexander Zverev of Germany, might encounter No. 7 Taylor Fritz from the U.S. in the quarterfinals. Additionally, last year’s Toronto champion, Ben Shelton, and the 2021 winner, Daniil Medvedev, are on a collision course for the same round.
Montreal’s own Gabriel Diallo, ranked No. 99, is set to take on a qualifier in the first round. Canadian wild-card entrant Liam Draxl from Newmarket will face Spain’s Daniel Merida, while Alexis Galarneau from Laval will go up against Czechia’s Vit Kopriva.
The qualifying rounds for the NBO are scheduled to take place on Saturday.
