The 407 ETR Family Weekend continued at Sobeys Stadium on the holiday Monday in Toronto as tennis fans continued to take in the exciting qualifying action around the grounds at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers.
Fun activities continued to take place in every direction around the grounds once again today. The highlight for many was the ball hockey game between PWHL and WTA stars! The hockey-meets-tennis tradition has become a mainstay of the opening weekend of the tournament and it’s always fun to see world class athletes from different disciplines come together.
Among the tennis players, we had Jelena Ostapenko, Shelby Rogers, Caroline Dolehide, Daria Kasatkina and Victoria Azarenka, and her son Leo, trade in their racquets for hockey sticks! Among the crew, it sure seemed like Kasatkina had played before as she weaved in and out of the PWHL squad with some skilled stickhandling.
Standing opposite the WTA stars was a team that included Blayre Turnbull, Emma Maltais, Julie Gosling, Victoria Bach, Emma Woods, and Darly Watts. Impressively, the tennis players managed to match the hockey pros, holding them to a 4-4 tie.
Other fun activations today included some Dog Therapy with Marina Stakusic lending a hand. There has long been a connection it seems between tennis players and their pups. Canada’s most famous tennis canine, Bianca Andreescu’s dog Coco, made an appearance at the NBO draw on Saturday night while American Alycia Parks had her little pup out on the practice courts as well today.
Read also: PWHL vs. ATP Ball Hockey Game Scores Big on Day One in Montreal
Another player from south of the border, Sloane Stephens, made herself available to fans today and did a Q&A on the main stage. She recalled fondly the five years she spent living here in Toronto and applauded Tennis Canada for how well they have been developing their young athletes in recent years. Afterwards, Stephens went over to the Fastest Serve Cage and showed the rest of us how it’s done!
As pre-tournament press continued today, recent Olympic bronze medallist Gabriela Dabrowski stopped by along with her new piece of glistening hardware. Dabrowski is always so thoughtful and articulate in her responses and this was certainly the case today as she discussed her Olympic experience, the success she’s had on tour with partner (and recent No. 1 in doubles) Erin Routliffe and her excitement of playing here at the National Bank Open in front of Canadian fans.
She spoke about the Olympic achievement and how protective she’s been of her new medal, sharing that, “This one is certainly incredibly special and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to fight for it.”
As for the medal itself and how she’s taking care of it, “It’s really heavy, honestly. I put it down and anyone who wants to see it I just pass it to them - I don’t mind sharing!”
Dabrowski and Routliffe form the No. 1 seeded tandem in the doubles draw this year and, after a first-round bye, will face the winner between Magda Linette and Peyton Stearns vs Moyuka Uchijima and Yue Yuan. Dabrowski is a previous NBO champ, winning in 2021 in Montreal alongside former partner Luisa Stefani.
In the final round of qualifying today, there were sixteen women vying for the final eight spots left in the main draw, which begins on Tuesday. Two Canadians were in action as Stacey Fung and Carol Zhao had both advanced Sunday after wins on opening day, however neither was able to advance.
Fung came up against a very tough Katie Volynets and was beaten 6-1, 6-3, while Zhao also couldn’t quite sink her teeth into her match and was defeated 6-1, 6-0 by an in-form Ashleyn Krueger.
Main draw action begins tomorrow and the feature attraction will be Canada’s Bianca Andreescu, who will open the night session at 7 pm local time on Centre Court against Lesia Tsurenko.
Read also: National Bank Open Draw Looking Strong in Toronto
Andreescu spoke with the press in the afternoon and impressed the media with how calm and relaxed she appears heading into her hometown tournament this year.
While admitting she has had some tough moments since her title here in 2019, she said, “Coming back here definitely helps with my mental health because I get to see all of you and all the amazing fans, my family and friends in the crowd always makes me smile.”
The WTA's best return to Toronto this summer for the National Bank Open August 4 to 12, 2024 at Sobeys Stadium. 2024 Tickets are on sale. Get your tickets today!
Feature Photo: Gyles Dias
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