Rogers Cup Preview: Toronto star power in Serena, Barty, Osaka, Halep

With Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer absent in Montreal, the balance of star power at the Rogers Cup shifts to Toronto. There a full quotient of top WTA players have gathered: Serena, Barty, Osaka, Halep, Pliskova, Stephens and Sharapova, among others. We’ve seen a lot of different winners on the women’s side this year. Will we get another this week? And could the result give us an idea of who might be the next major winner, a few weeks from now in New York? Here’s a look at the draw.

Complete Toronto Draw

Ash Barty likes grass, and she won Roland Garros, but her game would seem to be best suited to hard courts. Before Paris, her previous biggest win came in Miami, this spring. But this is a draw that’s pretty well stacked from top to bottom, and there’s a potential upset waiting around every corner. Elina Svitolina, Victoria Azarenka, Belinda Bencic and Citi Open finalist Camila Giorgi: They’re all in Barty’s quarter.

First-round matches to watch: Sofia Kenin vs. Su-Wei Hsieh; Bencic vs. Anastasia Potapova; Azarenka vs. Giorgi

First-round result: Dayana Yastremska d. Johanna Konta, 6-3, 6-2

Semifinalist: Barty

Ashleigh Barty is an all-surface threat, but hard courts might be her very best surface. (Getty Images)

From Brisbane to Rome to Eastbourne, Karolina Pliskova has been at her best in the pre-Slam warm-up events this year. The shorter the tournament, perhaps, the more likely this high-risk player can avoid an off day. Pliskova has had success during the summer hard-court swing in the past, and she should be a favorite to win another tune-up this week. She’ll start against either Maria Sakkari or Alison Riske, and could face No. 5 seed Kiki Bertens in the quarters.

First-round matches to watch: Sakkari vs. Riske; Sharapova vs. Anett Kontaveit; Bianca Andreescu vs. Genie Bouchard; Venus Williams vs. Carla Suarez Navarro

Semifinalist: Pliskova

The last time we saw Simona Halep, at Wimbledon, she had seemingly launched herself into a new and better career at age 27. Can she sustain her new level of intensity, and channel it as effectively? That will be the million-dollar question this week in Toronto, and at the US Open. Halep sounded eager to get started at Wimbledon, and she has fared well during this hard-court stretch in the past. We’ll see how much momentum has carried over when she faces either Jen Brady or Kiki Mladenovic in her opener.

Also here: Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Aryna Sabalenka—three players who have seemed to be on the verge at different times this year, but have yet to cash in on a big win.

First-round matches to watch: Keys vs. Donna Vekic; Caroline Garcia vs. Jelena Ostapenko

Canadian wild card to watch: Leylah Fernandez. The 16-year-old won the French Open girls’ title this year.

Semifinalist: Halep

Serena and Simona met in the Wimbledon final, and are part of a loaded half of the Toronto draw. (Getty Images)

For anyone who has been looking forward to a rematch of last year’s US Open women’s final between Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams, you may get your wish this week: Osaka and Serena are scheduled to meet in the quarters. Of course, they have to get there first, which is far from guaranteed—Osaka hasn’t made it that far since Rome, while Serena, aside from her trip to the Wimbledon final, hasn’t reached a quarter since the Australian Open. Serena, who said she wants to make some non-Slam finals, will start against either Elise Mertens or Aliaksandra Sasnovich; Osaka will play either Saisai Zheng or Tatjana Maria.

Semifinalist: S. Williams