National Bank Open wildcards are Andreescu, Fernandez, Marino
Three Canadians have received the final wild card entries into this year’s National Bank Open women’s tennis tournament, including 2019 champion Bianca Andreescu.
Leylah Fernandez and Rebecca Marino were the other Canadians to receive a wild card spot at the event, which will take place August 4-13 in Montreal.
Former world number 1 Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki previously got the other two wild card places.
Andreescu, from Mississauga, Ontario, won the 2019 event in Toronto when opponent Serena Williams retired in the final with an injury.
The two would meet again later that summer in the US Open final, with Andreescu winning 6–3, 7–5 to become the first Canadian to win a Grand Slam singles title.
None of the three Canadians have a high enough world ranking to automatically qualify for this year’s WTA 1000 event.
Andreescu is the highest ranked Canadian at number 50, followed by Vancouver’s Marino (83) and Fernandez of Laval, Que. (95).
Tennis Canada said in a release that 41 of the top 44 players on the WTA Tour have committed to the National Bank Open, including world No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek of Poland, No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and No. 3 Elena Rybakina from Kazakhstan.
Defending champion Simona Halep from Romania will not participate because she is serving a doping suspension.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 13, 2023.
