Other Cup – the Celebrity Cup!

The countdown is on! Rogers Cup presented by National Bank is set to launch on Friday, August 2.

Félix, Rafa, Denis or Milos? We know your heart’s already set on a winner.

But what about Alexandre, Sébastien, Mariana, Maxence, Jean-René or Alex? Who’s your pick? It just wouldn’t be Rogers Cup without its traditional celebrity tennis match and, to mark the 40th edition of the event in Montréal, we had to think big. Very, very big. There’ll be no more joking around because the players will be in it to win it at the very first Other Cup—the Celebrity Cup at IGA Stadium. It’s the event of the year on the other planet tennis, the one from Île-Perrot to Bromont via Saint-Jérôme.

Check out our headliners:

• Alexandre Barrette: A devastating forehand, a wholly decent two-handed backhand and an undeniable inclination to use absolutely any means to unsettle his opponent. The gold standard by which all will be measured.

• Sébastien Benoît: Alexandre’s favourite doubles partner who really knows his way around the court. Count on hijinks at the net and his trademark composure.

• Mariana Mazza: Raised on clay in the finest South American tradition with plenty of baseline rhythm. Her wit is quick; her serve, not so much.

• Maxence Parrot: A consummate counterpuncher made for endurance. Nadal himself could take a page from Max’s book. The Olympian is just as a comfortable with a board under his feet as a racquet in his hand (preferably his right).  

• Jean-René Dufort: His record speaks for itself and includes the likes of Nadal, Djokovic, Murray and Venus Williams. He’ll be counting on his supersonic crosscourt forehand to secure him a spot among the top 6.

• Alex Burrows: A solid righthander who shoots left. Contrary to popular belief, the Pincourt native’s favourite surface isn’t ice but grass. Like his idol Pete Sampras, he knows how to make a beeline for the net.

The cutthroat round-robin action gets underway at 11 a.m. on Sunday, August 4 on National Bank Court. Kitted out by our partner FILA (as was their legendary predecessor Bjorn Borg), the six aces will play in two groups of three. The winner of each group will qualify for the final on Saturday, August 10 following the afternoon doubles match.

The draw for Other Cup—the Celebrity Cup will be held at 4 p.m. on Friday, August 2 in the Salon VIP BMW (open to the public).

Ready? Play!

Feature Photo : Pascal Ratthé / Tennis Canada