Arthur Fery and Alexei Popyrin Highlight 2026 National Bank Open Qualifying Event in Montreal
ATP
Tournament News
July 16, 2026
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Toronto : August 1 - August 13, 2026Montreal : August 1 - August 13, 2026
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Toronto : August 1 - August 13, 2026
In under one month’s time, the WTA Tour will land in Toronto for the 2026 National Bank Open presented by Rogers.
The initial player list was released on Wednesday, July 8 and includes 72 of the WTA’s Top 75 players. In the coming weeks, we will be highlighting players who are expected to be competing in Toronto at the beginning of August.
This week, let’s meet the Top 10 players in the WTA Rankings.
(Note: Rankings and statistics are as of July 13, the Monday after Wimbledon, and may not correspond directly to the player list announced on July 8.)
Aryna Sabalenka
- Age: 28
- Current Ranking: 1
- Career-High: 1
- NBO Appearance: 7th
- Best NBO Result: Semifinal (2021)
- Most Recent NBO Result: Quarter-final (2024)
- 2026 Record: 36-6
- Career NBO Record: 9-6
Aryna Sabalenka will be back on the surface that treated her so well earlier in the year, with the next “Big” hard-court event being the National Bank Open. The world No. 1 is an impressive 23-1 on the concrete so far this season and has only conceded four sets over that span.
Notably, Sabalenka loves a trip to North America. The 28-year-old won the Sunshine Double this year and is the two-time reigning US Open champion. The 2025 WTA Player of the Year also hoisted the Cincinnati trophy in 2024, leaving the National Bank Open as the only North American “Big” event she has yet to win.
Most Canadian thing about Sabalenka: She was the top seed at the 2018 Tournoi de Québec (WTA 250), the final edition of the event.
Elena Rybakina
- Age: 27
- Current Ranking: 2
- Career-High: 2
- NBO Appearance: 5th
- Best NBO Result: Semifinal (Twice)
- Most Recent NBO Result: Semifinal (2025)
- 2026 Record: 34-11
- Career NBO Record: 8-4
Elena Rybakina looks to get over that last hurdle to reach her first National Bank Open final. The Kazakhstani has reached the semifinals in her last two appearances in Canada (2023 and 2025) as she makes her long-awaited return to Toronto.
The last time Rybakina played in the Ontarian capital was when she was fresh off a Wimbledon title in 2022, but she has done much more ever since. The 27-year-old won the 2024 WTA Finals and hoisted a second major trophy at the 2026 Australian Open. Rybakina also reached the Indian Wells final this year, an event she won in 2023, and achieved a career-high of No. 2 thanks to the result.
Most Canadian thing about Rybakina: She is the tallest player in the WTA Top 10 at 1.84 metres – only about 551.5 less than North America’s tallest free-standing structure, Toronto’s CN Tower.
Jessica Pegula
- Age: 32
- Current Ranking: 3
- Career-High: 3
- NBO Appearance: 6th
- Best NBO Result: Champion (Twice)
- Most Recent NBO Result: Round three (2025)
- 2026 Record: 35-9
- Career NBO Record: 18-3
Jessica Pegula is no stranger to a deep run at the National Bank Open. The 32-year-old has only failed to make the semifinals once in her five appearances, and that only came last season.
Before that, Pegula reached the final four in her event debut in 2021, then did the same the following year – losing to the eventual champion on each occasion. The American later became a National Bank Open champion herself, going back-to-back from 2023-2024 as she became the first woman to do so at the tournament since Martina Hingis from 1999-2000.
Pegula’s consistency has brought her back up to world No. 3 this season, reaching the quarter-finals or better in all but two of her 11 events so far.
Most Canadian thing about Pegula: She will only be about a two-hour drive from her home of Buffalo, NY when at Sobeys Stadium. Just on the other side of the Peace Bridge.
Coco Gauff
- Age: 22
- Current Ranking: 4
- Career-High: 2
- NBO Appearance: 6th
- Best NBO Result: Quarter-final (Three times)
- Most Recent NBO Result: Round four (2025)
- 2026 Record: 31-12
- Career NBO Record: 11-5
Coco Gauff always remains a contender at the National Bank Open. The American made her tournament debut at 17-years-old and made the quarters in each of her first three appearances. Gauff has since been the event’s top seed at the last two editions but could not return to the final eight.
However, the 22-year-old has gotten her hands on the National Bank Open title before, but in doubles. Gauff won alongside Pegula in 2022 and enters this year as the defending doubles champion after hoisting the trophy with McCartney Kessler in 2025.
Most Canadian thing about Gauff: She is a big fan of Canadian hit-show Heated Rivalry. Unfortunately for Gauff, neither Shane Hollander nor Ilya Rozanov play in Toronto.
Mirra Andreeva
- Age: 19
- Current Ranking: 5
- Career-High: 5
- NBO Appearance: 2nd
- Best NBO Result: Round three (2025)
- Most Recent NBO Result: Round three (2025)
- 2026 Record: 37-11
- Career NBO Record: 0-1*
Teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva will make her first appearance in Toronto this year, and she arrives in Canada’s largest city as a Grand Slam champion. The 19-year-old had her crowning moment at the same event where she made her major debut at age 16, dropping just one set en route to the 2026 Roland-Garros title.
After excelling during the clay season, Andreeva isn’t too bad on the concrete as well. The world No. 5 won the Dubai title in 2025, becoming the youngest player to win a WTA 1000 event, then followed that up by hoisting the Indian Wells trophy.
Most Canadian thing about Andreeva: She can follow Canadian Victoria Mboko and become the second-straight teen to win the National Bank Open.
*Andreeva received a walkover in the 2025 National Bank Open second round
Karolina Muchova
- Age: 29
- Current Ranking: 6
- Career-High: 6
- NBO Appearance: 4th
- Best NBO Result: Round four (2025)
- Most Recent NBO Result: Round four (2025)
- 2026 Record: 35-9
- Career NBO Record: 4-3
Karolina Muchova is bringing a career year into the National Bank Open this August. The Czech No. 1 has made six WTA semifinals this season so far – tied for the most – and has turned two of those into titles including the biggest of her career at the WTA 1000 in Doha.
Read also: Venus Williams awarded singles wild card to National Bank Open in Toronto
Muchova finished the grass season with back-to-back finals, hoisting the trophy in Bad Homburg and reaching the title match at Wimbledon. This year will be the 29-year-old’s first appearance at Sobeys Stadium, so Torontonians get to see the best version of Muchova.
Most Canadian thing about Muchova: She made her Team Czechia debut against Canada at the 2019 Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers, winning the first match of the tie.
Linda Noskova
- Age: 21
- Current Ranking: 7
- Career-High: 7
- NBO Appearance: 2nd
- Best NBO Result: Round two (2025)
- Most Recent NBO Result: Round two (2025)
- 2026 Record: 27-11
- Career NBO Record: 0-1
Right behind Muchova in the WTA rankings is fellow Czech and “ex-friend” Linda Noskova. The 21-year-old won over many hearts at Wimbledon thanks to her mentality and resilience en route to winning her maiden Grand Slam title.
As confident as ever, Noskova will now be in search of her first WTA 1000 trophy, and her next opportunity to do will be at the National Bank Open. The Czech No. 2 has been in and around the hunt for a 1000-level title, especially on the concrete, having made the China Open final in October and Indian Wells semis this season.
Most Canadian thing about Noskova: She loves to swim on her downtime. Good thing Canada has the most lakes out of any country in the world.
Iga Swiatek
- Age: 25
- Current Ranking: 8
- Career-High: 1
- NBO Appearance: 5th
- Best NBO Result: Semifinal (2023)
- Most Recent NBO Result: Round four (2025)
- 2026 Record: 23-12
- Career NBO Record: 8-4
This hasn’t been the Iga Swiatek that the tour is used to seeing, sitting at her lowest ranking since June last year, but the former world No. 1 can find her game in an instant as she looks to claim her first title of the season.
The Pole has won all but one of the North American “Big” events, hoisting the trophy in Cincinnati just last year. In 2022, Swiatek achieved the Sunshine Double before winning the US Open later in the season, so that means the 25-year-old’s missing piece is – the National Bank Open.
To add to how motivated Swiatek will be come August, if she is triumphant in Toronto, she will be a Wuhan and Dubai title away from completing the WTA 1000 collection, which the six-time major champion can accomplish as soon as February.
Most Canadian thing about Swiatek: Her country of Poland shares the same colours as Canada, both sporting the red and white.
Amanda Anisimova
- Age: 24
- Current Ranking: 9
- Career-High: 3
- NBO Appearance: 5th
- Best NBO Result: Runner-up (2024)
- Most Recent NBO Result: Round four (2025)
- 2026 Record: 16-9
- Career NBO Record: 10-4
Amanda Anisimova will have fond memories of Toronto. The American made the 2024 National Bank Open final as the world No. 132, taking down three Top 10 seeds on the way to her first WTA 1000 final.
Read also: National Bank Open Bringing Back all the Memories for Bianca Andreescu
Now, Anisimova returns to the Ontarian capital with much more to her resumé. The former world No. 3 had a career year in 2025, earning two WTA 1000 titles with triumphs in Doha and Beijing, along with reaching back-to-back Grand Slam finals thanks to her runs at Wimbledon and the US Open.
Most Canadian thing about Anisimova: Her 2024 runner-up finish in Toronto brought her back into the Top 50 following her break from tennis in 2023.
Elina Svitolina
- Age: 31
- Current Ranking: 10
- Career-High: 3
- NBO Appearance: 10th
- Best NBO Result: Champion (2017)
- Most Recent NBO Result: Quarter-final (2025)
- 2026 Record: 35-10
- Career NBO Record: 16-8
Elina Svitolina was dominant back in 2017, winning three WTA 1000 titles – one being at the National Bank Open – and hitting a career-high No. 3 in the WTA rankings. Fast forward nearly a decade later, the 31-year-old hasn’t slowed down.
Svitolina is tied with Muchova for most WTA semifinals this year so far, beginning the season with a title in Auckland and semifinal finish at the Australian Open. The Ukrainian has also made two WTA 1000 finals in 2026, falling short in Dubai but later hoisting the trophy in Rome.
Most Canadian thing about Svitolina: She speaks French thanks her husband Gaël Monfils, who was awarded an NBO wildcard for Montreal.
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: Peter Power
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