12 players in the top 50 will compete for a spot in the main draws in Montreal and Toronto
While the best players in the world have confirmed their presence at the 2019 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank in Toronto and Montreal, the qualifying draw will feature a strong field of players. Tennis Canada announced on Wednesday that 12 of the Top 50 players in the ATP and WTA rankings will take part in qualifying matches on August 3 and 4. Fans will be able to take in these high quality matches during the IGA Family Weekend, in Montreal, and the 407 ETR Free Community Weekend, in Toronto.
In Montreal, there will be four Top 50 players in the men’s qualifying draw, led by world no. 39 Sam Querrey. A tour veteran, the American has never made it past the third round at the Rogers Cup. Another notable name in the qualifying draw is former no. 4 Tomas Berdych, who made runs to the quarter-finals on four occasions at the Masters 1000 event in Canada. The Czech native is returning to tennis after struggling for a few months with a back injury which ended his 2018 season early. Robin Haase of the Netherlands will also be back in Montreal after surprising the tennis world by attaining the semi-finals two years ago. Fans will be delighted to see the name of former champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on the qualifying list. The Frenchman was crowned champion back in 2014 in Toronto and reached the semi-finals twice in Montreal. The qualifying draw will also feature a number of young up and coming players, with seven of them under the age of 25.
On the women’s side, there will be eight Top 50 players in the qualifying draw. The World No. 1 in doubles and recent doubles champion at Wimbledon, Barbora Stycova, headlines the strong qualifying list in Toronto. Currently ranked no. 32 in singles, the Czech native will be making her ninth appearance at the Rogers Cup. She will be joined by fellow doubles specialists, Shuai Zhang of China and Kristina Mladenovic of France, ranked no. 9 and no. 2 in doubles, respectively. Zhang also reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon just last week. Another notable name in the draw is that of former No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam Champion Victoria Azarenka. She has had good success at the tournament in the past, having reached the semi-finals on three occasions. While, former top-10 player CoCo Vandeweghe is also expected to make her return from a foot injury. There will be a strong next generation representation as 14 players under the age of 25 are set the compete.
The qualifying draws in both cities will be completed by Wild Cards, which will be announced at a later date.
Click here for the Montreal qualifying list.
Click here for the Toronto qualifying list.
Many off-court activities have been organized to complement the matches that will take place on the opening weekend. Both tournaments will offer a wide range of activities, games, boutiques, promotions and dining options. There will be something for everyone.
