Week in Preview: the ATP and WTA return to Canada for National Bank Open and Omnium Banque Nationale

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It’s good to be an outdoor sport these days. In 2020, recreational tennis boomed during the pandemic because of its natural social-distancing effects. This year, even as the Delta variant has brought uncertainty elsewhere, the pro game has gone ahead with its planned reopening, crowds and all, in North America. Within limits, though: This week there will be fans in Toronto and Montréal, but only in the main stadiums—no roving the side courts to see lower-profile matches or practice sessions.

The two Canadian tournaments won’t be quite the same for those of us following from home, either. The events are no longer called the Rogers Cup, and they haven’t attracted the number of top players that we normally see at the 1000 level. Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Ashleigh Barty, and Alexander Zverev, among others, won’t be in action. But that still leaves us with lot of high-level talent, and one superstar in Rafael Nadal, spread across the two cities.

Now that we know who won’t be in Toronto and Montréal, here’s a look at who will, and where they are in the draws.

National Bank Open (ATP)

Toronto
$3,487,915; ATP 1000
Hard court
Draw: Click here

There’s a quasi-futuristic feel to the men’s event in Toronto. This is a Masters 1000 tournament, but Djokovic and Federer are nowhere to be found, Daniil Medvedev is the No. 1 seed, and Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev, Denis Shapovalov, and Casper Ruud are among the Top 8.

But there’s a more familiar face at the bottom of the brackets: Nadal is the No. 2 seed. He’s also the two-time defending champion in Canada, and he got off his summer hard-court season off to an earlier start than usual this year at the Citi Open. But he looked a little shaky there. Rafa’s foot has been bothering him, and he lost his second match to 50th-ranked Lloyd Harris. This week Nadal may face Harris again in his opener, and there’s a chance he could play Nick Kyrgios after that, but only if Kyrgios gets past Reilly Opelka and Grigor Dimitrov.

The other three quarters are headlined by players trying to bounce back from disappointing Olympic singles results. Medvedev reached the final the last time this tournament was played, before losing to Nadal; this year he could get a third-round test from Jannik Sinner. Rublev may start against the man who beat him at Roland Garros, Jan-Lennard Struff, and if form holds, he’ll have a showdown with home favorite Shapovalov in the quarterfinals. Tsitsipas, who made the final here in 2018, will start against either Lorenzo Sonego or Ugo Humbert.

First-round matches to watch:

Kyrgios vs. Opelka

Alexander Bublik vs. Daniel Evans

Jenson Brooksby vs. Nikoloz Basilashvili

Potential second-round match to watch: Shapovalov vs. Sebastian Korda

Omnium Banque Nationale (WTA)

Montréal
$1,835,490; WTA 1000
Hard court
Draw: Click here

With Barty and Osaka off for the week, world No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka takes over as the top seed in Montréal. Like many of her highly-ranked male counterparts, Sabalenka lost early in Tokyo. The Wimbledon semifinalist will try to get back on track against Sloane Stephens or Dayana Yastremska in the first round, and could face her countrywoman Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals.

Karolina Pliskova is the highest seed in the second quarter. Will the easygoing Czech’s run to the Wimbledon final heighten her expectations for herself? She could play Donna Vekic first, Karolina Muchova after that, and Garbiñe Muguruza in the quarters.

The bottom section of this draw may be the most intriguing. That’s where the tournament’s two most recent champions, Simona Halep and Bianca Andreescu, are the top two seeds. Andreescu may open against fellow Canadian Leylah Fernandez, while Halep, who hasn’t played since May due to a calf injury she suffered in Rome, will start against either Danielle Collins or Jil Teichman.

First-round matches to watch:

Stephens vs. Yastremska

Maria Sakkari vs. Marie Bouzkova

Elena Rybakina vs. Ludmila Samsonova

Elise Mertens vs. Camila Giorgi

Coco Gauff vs. Anastasija Sevastova

Jessica Pegula vs. Anett Kontaveit