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National Post
19 minutes ago
- National Post
Zverev, Gauff named National Bank Open top seeds after high-profile dropouts
Article content Tournament director Karl Hale is excited to watch the talent on display at this year's National Bank Open, even though some big names will be missing in action. Article content Tennis Canada announced Germany's Alexander Zverev and American Coco Gauff as the top seeds of the men's and women's events in Toronto and Montreal on Tuesday, but neither player is the current world No. 1. Article content Article content Zverev, ranked No. 3, is moving up after top men Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the tournament to recover after Wimbledon. Sixth-ranked Novak Djokovic — a 24-time Grand Slam champion — and No. 5 Jack Draper won't hit the court in Toronto either. Article content Hale, who manages the Toronto event, believes that opens the door for Canadians to succeed. Article content 'I've been the tournament director for 20 years, and the best tournament we ever had was 2019, Bianca (Andreescu) winning,' said Hale, who added that ticket sales are trending well. 'It opens up that opportunity for our Canadians, which we're really excited about it.' Article content Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime is the 24th seed, one spot ahead of Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., who's coming off a tournament win in Los Cabos, Mexico. Article content Meanwhile, up-and-coming Montrealer Gabriel Diallo slots in at 30th. Article content 'It's unfortunate what happened with some withdrawals,' Hale said. 'But we're in really good shape, still a great player field and we have great Canadians to mitigate.' Article content The women's event in Montreal wasn't hit as hard, but No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka won't be there due to fatigue. Article content The ATP and WTA events are mandatory 1000-level tournaments, one notch below the Grand Slams. Article content 'There's some disappointment there because we have a 1000 event, which is supposed to come with that guarantee of being able to offer the best players in the world,' said Montreal tournament director Valerie Tetreault. 'We were quite unlucky, especially in Toronto. In Montreal, for sure we would have preferred to have Aryna, and I think she's a very popular player, but I think there's still a lot of big stars. Article content 'In Toronto, for sure that hurts a little bit more.' Article content But in the years ahead, Tetreault believes the dropouts won't be a major problem. Article content This year's NBO, with an expanded main draw of 96 athletes instead of 56, runs from Saturday through Aug. 7, beginning only two weeks after Sinner defeated Alcaraz in the men's Wimbledon final on July 13.
National Post
19 minutes ago
- National Post
Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime says National Bank Open withdrawals 'unfortunate'
Felix Auger-Aliassime feels for Canadian tennis fans who are disappointed by the withdrawals of big-name players from the National Bank Open. Article content Top ranked Jannik Sinner, world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz and former world No. 1 Novak Djokovic have all pulled out from the tennis tournament in the past two days. Auger-Aliassime said he understood why they pulled out, but that he understood how it would disappoint Canada's tennis community. Article content Article content Article content 'Wimbledon was not long ago, so the guys like Sinner and Alcaraz both played in the finals, and maybe other guys either picked up an injury, or were playing with an injury, they're going to want to break at some point,' said Auger-Aliassime on Tuesday. Article content 'Toronto or Montreal is always the first tournament of the North American swing, leading to the U.S. Open, and obviously guys are trying to peak at the U.S. Open, so every year there's always some withdrawals. Article content 'It's unfortunate for the tournament, for the tournament director, the fans, because you want to see the best players play each other.' Article content The National Bank Open is the only ATP Tour and WTA Tour event in Canada, with Toronto hosting the men this year and Montreal welcoming the women. Article content Auger-Aliassime, from Montreal, is the highest-ranked Canadian on the ATP Tour's standings, sitting 27th. Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., is one notch below him at 28th. Article content Jack Draper (fifth), Sebastian Korda (33rd), Jordan Thompson (36th) and Hubert Hurkacz (38th) have also withdrawn from the tournament since Sunday. This year's edition of the National Bank Open features an expanded 12-day, 96-player format. Article content The withdrawals could make Auger-Aliassime's path to a National Bank Open championship easier. No Canadian male has won on home soil since Robert Bedard of Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., won his third title in 1958. Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., came closest when he lost to Spain's Rafael Nadal in the 2013 final. Article content 'It won't change much at the beginning of the tournament,' said Auger-Aliassime. 'I think if I do get to the later stages of tournament, the quarterfinal stage, then you may have a better draw than if you're playing Alcaraz, Sinner or Djokovic at that stage. Article content 'Hopefully, you know, the draw opens up in a good way, and I play well and I go all the way.' Article content Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., won the women's title in 2019. Article content The 24-year-old Auger-Aliassime threw out the opening pitch at Rogers Centre before the Toronto Blue Jays hosted the New York Yankees in a critical American League East matchup. Article content Auger-Aliassime was impressed by the size of Rogers Centre and the number of fans it could fit as he stood outside the home dugout, waiting for a photo op with Blue Jays outfielder George Springer. Article content 'I've been on centre court in all the biggest stadiums in tennis, but obviously they're much smaller, you don't have a whole field,' he said. 'From the outside, obviously the stadium is impressive, but from the inside on the field, (…) it's like, wow, this is great.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Cambridge council steps up to the plate, foots $3 million bill for ball diamond upgrades
The city of Cambridge is playing ball – covering the cost of accessibility upgrades at the Kin 1 Ball Diamond at Riverside Park. CTV's Alexandra Holyk reports. The city of Cambridge is playing ball – covering the cost of accessibility upgrades at the Kin 1 Ball Diamond at Riverside Park. CTV's Alexandra Holyk reports. The city of Cambridge is playing ball – covering the cost of accessibility upgrades at the Kin 1 Ball Diamond at Riverside Park. On Tuesday, council voted in favour of fully funding the $3 million project with debt. Initially, it was expected that a grant from the Jays Care Foundation would cover around half the cost, however, the city failed to secure funding. 'They did encourage us to apply again this year because we will be closer to construction and/or in construction at the time,' said Placemaking Capital Projects recreation manager Shane Taylor in the meeting. Instead, the city will have to borrow money to complete the project, enacting the debt by-law in the process. 'The $3,025,000 equates to approximately $3,823,000,' noted the city's acting chief financial officer, Sheena Pawliwec. 'That's over a 10-year term assuming an average annual interest rate of about 4.5 per cent.' The ball diamond is often used by Buddy League, a growing adaptive baseball program that's been advocating for change. 'A lot of athletes do come here in their wheelchairs,' said Monica Small, whose son plays in the league. 'There is not a clear path, it's actually gravel. And so a lot of the wheelchairs will get stuck.' The upgrades would see new pathways, better bleachers, and artificial turf infield, along with accessible dugouts and bathrooms. 'Making sure that it is fully accessible and fully inclusive is really, really valuable and really most important for ensuring that everybody can get off the sidelines and into the game,' Cam Linwood, league co-ordinator for Buddy League, said in an interview with CTV News. As for additional funding, Taylor said the city is working on it. 'We don't have anything firmly locked up at the moment but we have been having some conversations and those conversations do seem to be going positively,' he said in the meeting, adding staff would be applying for another round of grant funding. The city of Cambridge has also launched a fundraising campaign encouraging private donations from residents, groups and businesses. Small urged anyone interested in donating to come and see what Buddy League is all about. 'Hang out with us. Just spend some time with us. I'm telling you, you'll fall in love with the sport. You're going to fall in love with the athletes, and you're going to fall in love with this community. 'Work to make the washrooms accessible is expected to start soon. Field improvements could begin after the end of this baseball season and be finished by summer 2026. With files from CTV's Krista Simpson
