The top seeds at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers may not have taken to the court yet but they’ve provided plenty of interesting tidbits as part of their pre-event media duties.
Here are some noteworthy nuggets from the likes of hometown favourite Leylah Annie Fernandez, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva.
Fernandez’s honest assessment
Prior to winning the title in Washington on Sunday, Fernandez struggled. So, when she was asked about her 2025 campaign before Washington, she replied with a laugh: “It’s been pretty s**t, to be honest.”
On Tuesday, the Canadian meets 19-year-old Maya Joint, who she topped on the way to the Washington crown.
Pegula not thinking of three-peat
Who was the last women’s player to win the NBO three straight years? Monica Seles, who did it from 1996-1998. Jessica Pegula goes for the hat-trick herself in 2025, two years after clinching the Montreal title in a week of weather delays and late finishes.
“I have had a lot of great memories between here and Toronto over the last few years,” said Pegula.
“I mean, yeah, everyone is, like, ‘Oh, three peat, three peat.’ That's a long ways away, but yeah, I'm hoping that I can kind of find some magic here in Canada that I've been able to kind of summon over the last few years and hopefully play some good tennis.”
Pegula has lost two in a row heading into Montreal.
Iga’s best stadium?
When Poland’s Iga Swiatek plays in Montreal, she comes home. How so? Well, she is, after all, playing at IGA Stadium.
“The name of the stadium is just perfect,” she laughed.
Swiatek certainly has reason to be in great spirits after surprising herself by winning her maiden Wimbledon title. But she quickly got back to work as the tennis calendar shifts from grass to hard courts.
“Winning Wimbledon was a dream come true moment, but for sure we’re back to work, adjusting to totally different conditions and a totally different surface, so I’m happy I came a little earlier to practice and prepare and I’m excited for the tournament for sure,” she said.
Gauff hoping for the best
Now a two-time Grand Slam champ after winning the French Open in June, Coco Gauff bids for a first ever semi-final in Montreal.
Gauff was certainly aware of her earlier than normal exits in Montreal – although both times she ended up losing in the quarterfinals to the eventual champion (Pegula in 2023 and Camila Giorgi in 2021).
“I definitely think that this is a crucial tournament for me to have a good hard court swing, just to play it, regardless of result because I always seem to learn a lot here.”
Gauff meets Olympic teammate Collins in just one of the eye-catching contests on Tuesday.
Andreeva and her Katy Perry plans
Besides the wonderful food, Montreal is known – especially in the summer – as a festival city. Relatedly, famous artists from around the world perennially play in the city.
This week, Katy Perry visits…and that would seem to be good news for 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva.
“I heard that she would perform here like one week before the tournament started, so I got super excited,” said the fourth seed. “Then I found out that she's performing on Thursday I think, and that would be the day when I would play a match.
“So I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to go, but Conchita told me that she's going to go anyway,” she continued, referring to her Grand Slam winning coach, Conchita Martinez. “Either she goes alone or with me. She doesn't really care. Yeah, I would be super excited to see her live, but we're going to see with scheduling and, yeah, we're going to see if I'm able to go or no.”
By now, Andreeva might know that Perry’s concert is actually on Wednesday, which won’t be a match day for her. Andreeva plays home favourite Bianca Andreescu on Tuesday.
Photo: Amélie Caron
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