Tennis stars pivot from Olympics to Toronto for National Bank Open
CBC News | Posted: August 4, 2024 8:00 AM | Last Updated: August 4
Star-studded women's lineup includes 2 wild cards from Mississauga
Some of the biggest players in women's tennis will be departing the Paris Olympics and jet-setting to Toronto to compete in the National Bank Open (NBO) at Sobeys Stadium.
Two Mississauga, Ont., players received wild cards for the main draw, Canada's first-ever Grand Slam singles champion, Bianca Andreescu, and up-and-coming player, Marina Stakusic, who played a key role in securing Canada's first-ever Billie Jean King Cup trophy.
"I'm very excited playing here in the main draw for the first time at home," Stakusic told CBC Toronto. "It's going to be really special to have all my family and friends there watching."
The NBO is an ATP Tour Masters 1000 tournament and is the third oldest title in tennis, behind Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. The women's event kicks off on Aug. 4.
Tournament director Karl Hale said the event will showcase a star-studded lineup with lots of hometown pride, including Leylah Fernandez, who will play on Wednesday night.
"It's the best of women's sport coming to Toronto," he said.
"We really want to push our Canadians because we're the world champions in tennis, and we want to support our Canadians to have another Canadian champion as we did in 2019 with Bianca."
WATCH | Bianca Andreescu plans to compete in National Bank Open:
Off the court, there's an extensive program of activities for fans, including a family weekend that runs Sunday and Monday, a Barbados night and live music.
The men's event will be hosted in Montreal and began on Aug. 3 at the IGA Stadium.
At both locations, splashes of purple will colour parts of the venue to celebrate gender equity, a key part of the tournament and Team Canada's mission, Hale said.