2026 National Bank Open Toronto Players: Meet the Canadian Women

However, after defending-champion Victoria Mboko was forced to withdraw from this year’s event, will another Canadian wildcard have a breakthrough moment at the National Bank Open? Or will a past WTA titlist make it back-to-back Canadian champions at the northern WTA 1000 event?

With opening day within a week, let’s meet the players who will be representing the Maple Leaf at Sobeys Stadium.

(Note: Rankings and statistics are as of July 27 and may not correspond directly to the player list announced on July 8.)

Leylah Annie Fernandez

• Age: 23
• Current Ranking: 25
• Career-High: 13
• NBO Appearance: 7th 
• Best NBO Result: Round three (2023) 
• Most Recent NBO Result: Round one (2025)
• 2026 Record: 12-19
• Career NBO Record: 4-6

Leylah Annie Fernandez will be Canada’s No. 1 at the National Bank Open for the third-straight time, looking to finally make a deep run at her home event. Fernandez’s best result at the tournament was when the world No. 81 upset 11^th-seed Beatriz Haddad Maia to make the 2023 National Bank Open third round in Montreal.

Fernandez’s expectations will be a lot greater this year though. The Lavalloise won the biggest title of her career in Washington last season and will be seeded at the National Bank Open once again, after she was unseeded in 2025. 

The 20-year-old made her fourth-career WTA 1000 quarter-final earlier in the year in Madrid – her first since Cincinnati 2024 – so when Fernandez finds her rhythm, expect her to at least be a part of the last eight in Toronto.

Kayla Cross

• Age: 21
• Current Ranking: 168
• Career-High: 168
• NBO Appearance: 2nd 
• Best NBO Result: Round one (2025) 
• Most Recent NBO Result: Round one (2025)
• 2026 Record: 19-12 (including WTA 125 & WTT)
• Career NBO Record: 0-1

Kayla Cross will be back in the National Bank Open main draw after winning the Road to the NBO wildcard for the second-straight time, but this year, she gets the opportunity to compete in her home province for the first time in singles.

Read also: Tennis Canada’s Focus on Doubles Through its “Double-Double” Fund

The London-native punched her ticket into the Toronto main draw by erasing a 7-5, 5-1 deficit in the W75 Granby semis to reach the final. Cross then capped off the event with the title – the biggest of her career. To add to her remarkable week, the 21-year-old rose to a career-high No. 168 in the WTA rankings, nearly 100 spots up from where she sat heading into last year's tournament.

Bianca Andreescu

• Age: 26
• Current Ranking: 170
• Career-High: 4
• NBO Appearance: 8th 
• Best NBO Result: Champion (2019) 
• Most Recent NBO Result: Round two (2025)
• 2026 Record: 25-12 (including WTA 125 & WTT)
• Career NBO Record: 10-5

Bianca Andreescu made history at Sobeys Stadium seven years ago – now, the 26-year-old will be back in Toronto as confident and healthy as she was during her 2019 National Bank Open title run.

“The mental side of it, of course, takes a toll on you. But now that I've been super consistent, I think that's also giving me even more confidence to finish the season off strong,” Andreescu said during a media availability on July 8. “Of course, I've had my moments where I thought this would actually be possible, but until it actually happens, you don't know how it truly feels. So now I just feel beyond grateful. And I'm just ready to continue to kick some butt.”

The quote came after the Mississaugan qualified for the Wimbledon main draw, her first Grand Slam main-draw appearance since the 2024 US Open. Andreescu also gave it her all for Canada at the Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers in April, playing in a near four-hour match to try to keep her nation alive, which showed that the former world No. 4 can produce something special when the country is behind her.

Read also: National Bank Open Bringing Back all the Memories for Bianca Andreescu

Katherine Sebov

• Age: 27
• Current Ranking: 230
• Career-High: 136
• NBO Appearance: 2nd 
• Best NBO Result: Round one (2022) 
• Most Recent NBO Result: Round one (2022)
• 2026 Record: 19-18 (including WTA 125 & WTT)
• Career NBO Record: 0-1

Katherine Sebov will make her first National Bank Open main-draw appearance since 2022, playing in her hometown once again. The Torontonian was awarded a wildcard after a solid end to 2025, making the semifinals of Toronto’s Tevlin Challenger and winning a W35 event in Monastir.

Read also: Sebov, Brace, and Marino receive main-draw wild cards for National Bank Open in Toronto

In 2023, Sebov qualified for her first Grand Slam main draw at the Australian Open, then earned her first 1000-level match win to reach the second round in Miami as a qualifier. The results brought her up to a career-high No. 136 in the WTA rankings.

Cadence Brace

• Age: 21
• Current Ranking: 240
• Career-High: 182
• NBO Appearance: 1st 
• 2026 Record: 10-12 (including WTA 125 & WTT)

Cadence Brace is one Canadian who will be making her National Bank Open main-draw debut in Toronto this year. Like Sebov, the Torontonian ended 2025 on a high note by making the semis at a W100 event in Oklahoma and reaching her first WTA 125 final in Tampico.

Brace has also shined in the NCAA with Louisiana State University, where she’s teammates with Cross. The 21-year-old led the Tigers to the SEC finals in 2026 and won first team all-SEC honours. Brace finished the 2025-26 season at No. 10 in the ITA rankings, LSU’s highest-ranked player. 

Rebecca Marino

• Age: 35
• Current Ranking: 333
• Career-High: 38
• NBO Appearance: 7th
• Best NBO Result: Round three (2021) 
• Most Recent NBO Result: Round two (2025)
• 2026 Record: 5-3 (including WTA 125 & WTT)
• Career NBO Record: 3-6

The National Bank Open hasn’t seen the last of Rebecca Marino. Born in Toronto but raised in Vancouver, Marino didn’t play in an event from September to June before returning without losing a step, reaching the quarters or better in two of her first three events of the year.

The 35-year-old is a two-time Tennis Canada Female Player of the Year, winning the honour in back-to-back years in 2010 and 2011. During those seasons, Marino won in her Grand Slam main-draw debut match at the 2010 US Open and made round three of 2011 Roland-Garros to hit a career-high of No. 38 in the WTA rankings. The Vancouverite then matched her best major result over a decade later with a third-round finish at the 2022 US Open.

Read also: Food and Beverage - Balling on a Budget at 2026 National Bank Open in Toronto

Marino will enter the 2026 National Bank Open ranked No. 333 – the same ranking compatriot Mboko had to start the 2025 season before winning her home tournament.

The WTA's best return to Toronto next summer for the National Bank Open presented by Rogers Aug 1 to 13 at Sobeys Stadium. Get your tickets today!

Feature Photo: Frederic Cote