(Toronto) Canadian Bianca Andreescu will face Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko to kick off the National Bank Open.
Tennis Canada held the draw on Saturday for the women’s tournament, which is taking place in Toronto, and for the men’s draw, which is taking place in Montreal.
Andreescu will return to Centre Court where the Ontarian won the event in 2019, in a memorable year that saw her capture the U.S. Open title.
“This path to the title was so important to me,” the 24-year-old said at a posh Toronto hotel where the news conference was held. “We hope to get that feeling back. I love my tennis, I feel good physically. That’s all I can ask for. I’m really excited.”
Ranked 171e World ranking, Andreescu returned to the game last May, at Roland-Garros, where she was eliminated in the third round, just like at Wimbledon.
“There’s always something to work on,” she said. “I’m a perfectionist, so I feel like I can always improve. I really feel like I’ve been playing well lately.”
The highest ranked Canadian, Quebecer Leylah Fernandez, 25e at the WTA, will face the Chinese Zhang Shuai in the first round, which begins on Tuesday.
Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino will face Poland’s Magda Linette, while Toronto’s Marina Stakusic will face a qualified player.
The Toronto tournament has seen a number of big names withdraw this week for various reasons, including competing in the Paris Olympics. Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the world number one who is coming off a bronze medal, is among the players who have withdrawn.
“There’s injuries and stuff like that, but we’re happy with what we have, which is a great group of players,” Toronto tournament director Karl Hale said.