Ariana Arseneault woke up on Saturday morning thinking she might have a chance to play in qualifying at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Montreal.
Luck was on her side as a withdrawal opened up a place in the draw opposite Destanee Aiava of Australia and she took full advantage of the opportunity. The 23-year-old Canadian earned a 6-3, 7-6(5) victory to book her place in the main draw alongside eight of her compatriots. After being named to Canada’s Billie Jean King Cup team for the first time this spring, Arseneault will now make her WTA 1000 main draw debut at her home tournament against none other than four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka.
Other winners in qualifying on Saturday included Wimbledon quarter-finalist Laura Siegemund, Kamilla Rakhimova, Cristina Bucsa, Bernarda Pera, Louisa Chirico, and Whitney Osuigwe.
On-Site Highlights
Erin Ambrose, Alexandra Labelle, and Catherine Daoust of the PWHL’s Montreal Victoire took on Mirra Andreeva, Daria Kasatkina, Rebecca Marino, and other WTA stars in the annual ball hockey game. Lots of goals were scored and much fun was had.
Meanwhile, Bianca Andreescu took part in a yoga session with the kids on the first day of IGA Family Weekend in association with LEGO Canada. Plus, top seed Coco Gauff and Victoria Mboko were on-hand to assist with the draw ceremony.
Player Party Glitz and Glam
The players let their hair down before main draw play gets underway and walked the red carpet at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel.
Photos by: Tim Austen and Pascal Ratthé
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