Latest news with #TennisCanada
Toronto Star
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Zverev, Gauff named National Bank Open top seeds after high-profile dropouts
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. 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.
Montreal Gazette
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Montreal Gazette
Coco Gauff gets top seed for National Bank Open in Montreal
Tennis American Coco Gauff will be the top seed at the National Bank Open tennis tournament in Montreal next week, Tennis Canada announced on Tuesday. Gauff, the world No. 2, got the top bill after world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka withdrew last week, citing fatigue. Despite the world No. 1, the NBO can boast having 32 of the top 35 players in the WTA rankings — No. 6 Qinwen Zheng, who underwent elbow surgery last week, and No. 10 Paula Badosa, who sustained a back injury at Wimbledon, are the only others who have backed out of the event so far. 'Having Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Jessica Pegula lead the draw — alongside rising stars like Mirra Andreeva and Jasmine Paolini — and with nearly all of the world's top 32 players in attendance, this year's field is a true reflection of the incredible depth and talent we're seeing on the WTA Tour,' said Valérie Tétreault, NBO Montreal's tournament director, in a statement from Tennis Canada. 'Leylah Annie Fernandez is just one spot away from joining this elite group of seeds, highlighting the strength of this year's draw and giving Canadian tennis fans many players to cheer on.' No Canadians are among the 32 seeded players, who will get first-round byes in the 96-player main draw. But Laval's Fernandez, ranked 36th in the world, will be next on the list if another seeded player bows out. Canadians given wild cards into the main draw are former U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu of Thornhill, Ont. (currently ranked 188th), Vancouver's Rebecca Marino (ranked 118th), rising star Victoria Mboko of Burlington, Ont. (currently a career-high 88th), American-born Carson Branstine (191st), London's Kayla Cross (270th), Mississauga's Marina Stakusic (142nd) and Westmount's Eugenie Bouchard, who announced this tournament would be her last. More wild cards are still to be announced. The men's tournament in Toronto has three seeded Canadians: Montrealers Félix Auger-Aliassime (No. 24) and Gabriel Diallo (No. 32), and Denis Shapovalov from Richmond Hill, Ont. (No. 25). Vasek Pospisil of Vernon, B.C., has announced he, too, will retire after the National Bank Open. Remaining wild cards have yet to be announced. Liam Draxl of Newmarket, Ont., is the only other Canadian in the top 200, ranked 147th overall. Alexander Zverev of Germany will be the top seed in the men's tournament, followed by American Taylor Fritz. The four other players in the top six (No. 1 Jannik Sinner, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, No. 5 Jack Draper and No. 6 Novak Djokovic) all withdrew because of injury or need to recover from injury.
Qatar Tribune
2 days ago
- Sport
- Qatar Tribune
Former Wimbledon finalist Bouchard set to retire after Montreal Open
WTA Eugenie Bouchard, who burst onto the tennis scene with great fanfare and later set the standard for women's tennis in Canada, has announced that she will retire from professional tennis this summer. Her final tournament will be the 2025 National Bank Open in Montreal, where she has accepted a wild card into the main draw. It's a fitting final destination for the former World No. 5, who was born and spent the early part of her life in Montreal. It will be her 15th career appearance at the 1000-level event. Bouchard, who turned pro in 2009, started to turn heads after being named the WTA Newcomer of the Year in 2013. But it was the following year when she became a true household name across the globe. After reaching the semi-finals of the Australian and French Opens — and capturing her first career singles title, in Nuremberg — she went on a historic run to the Wimbledon final, becoming the first Canadian woman in the Open Era to play for a Grand Slam singles title. (She fell 6-3, 6-0 to Petra Kvitova, who is also set to retire this year.) The 31-year-old's brilliant 2014 earned her a spot among the top 8 players in the year-end WTA Finals. Bouchard also played a key role in supporting and advancing Canadian tennis throughout her career, representing her country in the Olympics in 2016 and playing in 10 Billie Jean King Cup ties, earning 13 victories. Most recently, in 2023, Bouchard — along with teammates Leylah Fernandez , Rebecca Marino , Marina Stakusic , and Gabriela Dabrowski — helped Canada take home its first-ever Billie Jean King Cup. 'Few athletes have left as profound a mark on Canadian tennis as Genie [Bouchard] has throughout her extraordinary career,' said Gavin Ziv, Chief Executive Officer of Tennis Canada. 'As one of the very first players to ever be part of the National Tennis Centre presented by Rogers in Montreal, she achieved things that many thought would be impossible for Canadian players. 'Her career highlights, which include a Wimbledon final appearance and a Billie Jean King Cup championship, are nothing short of extraordinary and were a true catalyst for the development of tennis in our country. 'She's been and still is an incredible ambassador for our sport and, on behalf of Tennis Canada, I want to thank her for everything she's done. We wish her continued success in the next chapter of her career.' The National Bank Open kicks off on July 27, and Bouchard will be in action either that day or the following day, July 28. (It depends on the outcome of the official draw, which will come out on July 26.)
Express Tribune
5 days ago
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Sabalenka pulls out of Montreal event
World number one Aryna Sabalenka has withdrawn from the WTA Canadian Open tournament in Montreal due to fatigue, Tennis Canada announced on Wednesday. The 27-year-old from Belarus, runner-up at the Australian and French Opens, comes off semi-final runs at Wimbledon and Berlin and titles at Madrid and Miami. "I'm looking forward to kicking off the North American hard-court swing, but to give myself the best chance for success this season, I've decided it's in my best interest to skip Montreal," Sabalenka said. Missing the July 27-August 7 event leaves the reigning US Open champion only one major tuneup, at Cincinnati in August, before she tries to defend her crown on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts. "I'll miss my amazing Canadian fans, but I'm already looking forward to seeing you all next year," Sabalenka said. "Thanks for your understanding and support -- it means the world to me." Sabalenka was upset in the Wimbledon semi-finals by American Amanda Anisimova. "We're obviously disappointed that Aryna won't be with us this year," tournament director Valerie Tetreault said. World number 10 Paula Badosa of Spain withdrew from the event due to injury. The two departures opened spots in the main draw for American Caty McNally and Japan's Moyuka Uchijima. Canada's Eugenie Bouchard announced on Wednesday that she will retire from professional tennis after the WTA event in Montreal, her hometown. Bouchard, 31, rose as high as fifth in the world rankings and enjoyed her best career season in 2014 when she reached her only Grand Slam singles final at Wimbledon. She also made semi-final runs that year at the Australian and French Opens and reached the fourth round at the US Open, her best career showings in each of the Grand Slam tournaments.
Gulf Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Tunisia's Jabeur announces break from tennis to ‘rediscover the joy of living'
Three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur is taking a break from competitive tennis, the 30-year-old said in a social media post on Thursday. Tunisia's Jabeur, the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam final, has struggled with her form in recent months, failing to get past the third round of a major this year. The two-time Wimbledon finalist's campaign came to a disappointing end at the All England Club last month as she retired from her first-round clash against Viktoriya Tomova, unable to continue after a long medical timeout. The former world number two suffers from asthma and experienced breathing difficulties at this year's Australian Open. Jabeur, often called the 'minister of happiness' for her cheerful personality, said she was not feeling truly happy on the court. 'For the past two years, I've been pushing myself so hard, fighting through injuries and facing many other challenges. But deep down, I haven't truly felt happy on the court for some time now,' she said in a statement. 'Tennis is such a beautiful sport. But right now, I feel it's time to take a step back and finally put myself first: to breathe, to heal, and to rediscover the joy of simply living.' Jabeur, married to former fencer Karim Kamoun, has also been open about her wish to start a family. 'Thank you to all my fans for understanding. Your support and love mean the world to me. I carry it with me always,' she added. Sabalenka, Badosa pull out of Montreal event: World number one Aryna Sabalenka has withdrawn from the WTA Canadian Open tournament in Montreal due to fatigue, Tennis Canada announced on Wednesday. The 27-year-old from Belarus, runner-up at the Australian and French Opens, comes off semi-final runs at Wimbledon and Berlin and titles at Madrid and Miami. 'I'm looking forward to kicking off the North American hard-court swing, but to give myself the best chance for success this season, I've decided it's in my best interest to skip Montreal,' Sabalenka said. Missing the July 27-Aug. 7 event leaves the reigning US Open champion only one major tuneup, at Cincinnati in August, before she tries to defend her crown on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts. 'I'll miss my amazing Canadian fans, but I'm already looking forward to seeing you all next year,' Sabalenka said. 'Thanks for your understanding and support — it means the world to me.' Sabalenka was upset in the Wimbledon semi-finals by American Amanda Anisimova. 'We're obviously disappointed that Aryna won't be with us this year,' tournament director Valerie Tetreault said. World number 10 Paula Badosa of Spain withdrew from the event due to injury. The two departures opened spots in the main draw for American Caty McNally and Japan's Moyuka Uchijima. Canada's Eugenie Bouchard announced on Wednesday that she will retire from professional tennis after the WTA event in Montreal, her hometown. Agencies
