The Hologic WTA Tour returns to Toronto next week for the first time since 2019, with the Rogers-presented National Bank Open kicking off back-to-back WTA 1000 tournaments on the North American hard courts.
Here’s what you need to know about Toronto:
When does the tournament start?
The National Bank Open is the first WTA 1000 tournament of the hard court summer season and will be played at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto, Canada. The tournament includes a singles draw with 56 players and a doubles draw with 28 teams. In its 53rd edition, the tournament will be played on an outdoor hard court and will use the Wilson US Open Regular Duty ball. Electronic line calling will be used on all match courts.
The peloton begins on Monday, August 8th. Day sessions begin at 11:00 am and night sessions begin at 7:00 pm
When are the finals?
The final will take place on Sunday 14th August. The singles final starts at 1:30 p.m. and the doubles final follows.
Who are the expected top 16 seeds?
1. Iga Swiatek
2. Anett Kontaveit
3. Maria Sakkari
4.Paula Badosa
5. Ons Jabeur
6. Arina Sabalenka
7.Jessica Pegula
8. Garbine Muguruza
9.Emma Raducanu
10. Coco Gauff
11. Daria Kasatkina
12. Belinda Bencic
13. Leylah Fernandez
14. Karolina Pliskova
15. Simona Halep
16. Yelena Ostapenko
World No. 9 Danielle Collins withdrew from the tournament with an ongoing neck injury.
Who are the defending champions?
Bianca Andreescu is the reigning champion in Toronto. She won the title in 2019, the last time the tournament was held in her hometown. Andreescu defeated Eugenie Bouchard, Daria Kasatkina, Kiki Bertens, Karolina Pliskova, Sofia Kenin and Serena Williams by retiring to win her second WTA 1000 title of the season. The run was a prelude to the Canadian’s run to the US Open title a few weeks later, where she defeated Williams in the final.
Camila Giorgi won the last edition of the National Bank Open, which took place last summer when the tournament was held in Montreal. Italy defeated Elise Mertens, Nadia Podoroska, Petra Kvitova, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Karolina Pliskova en route to her first WTA 1000 title.
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In doubles, Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani won the title in Montreal last summer, while Czech duo Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova are the last champions in Toronto.
How does the draw look like?
The Main Drawing Ceremony will take place on Friday, August 5th at 5:00pm at the CN Tower.
What prize money and ranking list points are there?
First round: 1 point/$12,515
Second round: 60 points/$17,445
Third round: 105 points/$30,660
Quarterfinals: 190 points/$61,300
Semifinals: 350 points/$133,400
Finalist: 585 points/$259,100
Masters: $900/$439,700
Important storylines
Iga Swiatek returns to hard courts: The world No. 1 is already in Toronto to hone her hard-court game ahead of her first North American tournament since winning the Sunshine Double in March. Swiatek has played one tournament since ending her 37-game winning streak at Wimbledon, losing to eventual champion Caroline Garcia in the quarterfinals of the Warsaw Open.
Serena and Venus Williams are back: For the first time since Wimbledon 2021, both Serena and Venus are in the singles draw of a tournament. Both women played their first tournament of the season in recent weeks, with Serena losing in three tough sets to Harmony Tan at Wimbledon and Venus battling Rebecca Marino in another dramatic three-set match in Washington DC last week
Williams Tracker: Where to Catch Serena and Venus This Summer
Canadians under a cloud of injuries: Both Bianca Andreescu and Leylah Fernandez are racing against the clock to be fit for their home tournament. Andreescu was hampered by a back injury at San Jose this week, while Fernandez has not played since suffering a stress fracture in her foot at Roland Garros.
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