The National Bank Open presented by Rogers kicks off its expanded format with main-draw action on Sunday.
Now a 12-day event with 96 players on each side, the NBO will feature an extra round for the women in Montreal and men in Toronto.
The 32 seeds get a bye in the opening round, meaning none of them will see the court until Tuesday.
But there’s still plenty of compelling action at both sites, with Canadian players taking centre stage.
Here’s a look at what’s in store on opening day.
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Watch the National Bank Open on Sportsnet
The stars of tennis hit the courts in Toronto and Montreal for the National Bank Open presented by Rogers. Catch live coverage of both tournaments on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ beginning Sunday.
TOP STORYLINES
Can Andreescu find Canadian magic?
Bianca Andreescu’s return from injury this season hasn’t gone smoothly.
The 2019 U.S. Open champion failed to qualify for the French Open and Wimbledon and is just 8-8 for the season.
Andreescu is down to No. 188 in the rankings after several long absences, but the Canadian has enjoyed the majority of her success on hard courts.
Weeks prior to that magical U.S. Open run, the Mississauga, Ont., native captured the National Bank Open title at home in Toronto.
Andreescu faces a stiff test right off the bat against Barbora Krejcikova on Sunday night. The Czech player has two career Grand Slam titles, including Wimbledon last year. Like Andreescu, Krejcikova started the year on the injured list.
It marks the first meeting between the two since way back in 2017, when Krejcikova won in a qualifying match in Austria.
Andreescu crashed out of the 2024 NBO in a wild first-round clash, losing 0-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko in Toronto.
Last call for Pospisil?
Vasek Pospisil has been a glue guy for Canadian tennis for more than a decade.
Some of his best moments have come in Davis Cup play, including the country’s first championship in 2022.
The 35-year-old Pospisil, who reached a career-best No. 25 in the singles rankings and won a Wimbledon doubles title with American Jack Sock, has announced he’ll retire after this tournament.
Pospisil, who has played a limited schedule this season, faces a qualifier on Sunday night.
Mboko in spotlight
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko is in the midst of a huge breakout year, rocketing into the top 100 by piling up wins at lower-level tournaments and reaching the third round at the French Open.
The powerful 18-year-old looks like she has all the tools to be a Grand Slam contender, earning praise from stars like Coco Gauff and Paula Badosa after matches earlier this year.
Mboko, ranked 88th, plays the featured afternoon match in Montreal, facing No. 76 Kimberly Birrell of Australia.
Qualifying drama
Blink and you might miss the biggest moment of Dan Martin’s career.
The Canadian had split a pair of tiebreakers with Japanese veteran Taro Daniel and was tied 5-5 (and 40-40) in the third set when a storm hit the York University courts on Saturday, washing out the play for the rest of the day.
They’ll resume the match on centre court on Saturday morning, with a spot in the main draw on the line. Martin is ranked 554th in the world.
The Martin-Daniel battle is one of three qualifying matches that needs to be completed before all the qualifiers can be placed in the main draw.
BROADCAST SCHEDULE (All times ET)
Women’s: 11 a.m. (Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet+); 7 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet+)
Men’s: 11 a.m. (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet+); 7 p.m. (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+)
MATCH SCHEDULE (All times ET)
Women’s, in Montreal
Centre court (starts at 11 a.m.)
Jaqueline Cristian (Romania) vs. [WC] Marina Stakusic (Canada)
Marketa Vondrousova (Czechia) vs. Alexandra Eala (Philippines)
Kimberly Birrell (Australia) vs. [WC] Victoria Mboko (Canada)
Not before 7 p.m.: [WC] Bianca Andreescu (Canada) vs. Barbora Krejcikova (Czechia)
[Q] Elsa Jacquemot (France) vs. [WC] R. Marino (Canada)
Rogers Court (starts at 11 a.m.)
Suzan Lamens (Netherlands) vs. Polina Kudermetova (Russia)
Zhu Lin (China) vs. [Q] Varvara Gracheva (France)
[Q] Cristina Bucsa (Spain) vs. Veronika Kudermetova (Russia)
Not before 6 p.m.: Danielle Collins (U.S.) vs. [Q] Viktoriya Tomova (Bulgaria)
[Q] Whitney Osuigwe (U.S.) vs. Hailey Baptiste (U.S.)
Court 5 (starts at 11 a.m.)
[Q] Katie Volynets (U.S.) vs. [Q] Aoi Ito (Japan)
[Q] Louisa Chirico (U.S.) vs. Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (Spain)
[Q] Bernarda Pera (U.S.) vs. Camila Osorio (Colombia)
Men’s, in Toronto
Centre court (starts at 10:30 a.m.)
Qualifying: Completion of Taro Daniel (Japan) vs. Dan Martin (Canada), 7-6 (0), 6-7 (0), 5-5
Not before 12:30 p.m.: Sebastian Ofner (Austria) vs. Reilly Opelka (U.S.)
Not before 2:30 p.m.: Gael Monfils (France) vs. qualifier
Not before 7 p.m.: Qualifier vs. [WC] Vasek Pospisil (Canada)
Qualifier vs. Joao Fonseca (Brazil)
Motorola Razr Grandstand Court (starts at 11 a.m.)
Adam Walton (Australia) vs. Benjamin Bonzi (France)
[WC] Nicolas Arseneault (Canada) vs. Laslo Djere (Serbia)
Not before 2:30 p.m.: Qualifier vs. Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (France)
Not before 5 p.m.: Miomir Kecmanovic (Serbia) vs. Quentin Halys (France)
Juncheng Shang (China) vs. qualifier
Court 1 (starts at 10:30 a.m.)
Qualifying: Completion of Alexander Blockx (Belgium) vs. Duje Ajdukovic (Croatia), 3-3
Not before 2:30 p.m.: Qualifier vs Learner Tien (U.S.)
Qualifier vs Zizou Bergs (Belgium)
Court 4 (starts at 2:30 p.m.)
Qualifier vs. Jaume Munar (Spain)
Qualifier vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry (Argentina)
Court 3 (starts at 10:30 a.m.)
Qualifying: Completion of Tristan Schoolkate (Australia) vs. Govind Nanda (U.S.), 6-3
Not before 2:30 p.m.: Jacob Fearnley (Great Britain) vs. qualifier
Roman Safiullin (Russia) vs. qualifier
