The WTA draw for the 2024 Canadian Open in Toronto has been released, as the best will meet at the WTA 1000 tournament.
While 'the best' will meet in Toronto, it won't be 'the best of the best', as multiple top players withdrew from the tournament. Iga Swiatek and Barbora Krejcikova couldn't make it to Canada because of competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, while Elena Rybakina still struggles with an injury.
Therefore, the Canadian Open, also known as the National Bank Open, will have a bit weaker draw than in years prior, but that doesn't take away from any of the excitement for the tournament, which will run from August 6th to 12th.
The top seed at the tournament is the 2023 US Open champion, Coco Gauff, who has a really difficult task ahead of her. She already couldn't defend 470 points from her Citi Open win because of her participation at the Olympic Games, and soon, she will defend her triumphs at the Cincinnati Open and US Open.
Because of that, the Canadian Open is important for the 20-year-old American not just to build her confidence, but also to possibly compensate for any points that she may lose in the following weeks.
Still, the draw in Toronto has been brutal for her. Although she may play against one of the qualifiers in the second round, since she has a first-round BYE like all top eight seeded players, she may also meet fellow compatriot and major winner, Sofia Kenin, who will play against that qualifier.
Gauff certainly won't be looking too far ahead, but if she looked at the other side of the draw, she would see the second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, who will start her tournament against the winner of the match between Yue Yuan and Cristina Bucsa.
Like Gauff, her doubles partner, Jessica Pegula, also didn't have a good Olympic experience, and the third seed will want to forget that in Toronto, starting against the winner of the match between former World No. 1, Karolina Pliskova, and Nadia Podoroska.
There will be also plenty of exciting first-round matchups, and one in particular stands out. Three-time Grand Slam finalist, Ons Jabeur, who is the ninth seed, will play against a four-time major winner, Naomi Osaka.
However, this match may not even happen, as Jabeur has struggled with injuries in recent weeks, even withdrawing from the 2024 Citi Open in Washington. Apart from this matchup, there are many more exciting matchups at the 2024 Canadian Open in Montreal, which can be seen in the draw below.
| Player 1 | Player 2 |
|---|---|
| Coco Gauff [1] | BYE |
| Qualifier | Sofia Kenin |
| Anastasia Potapova | Magdalena Frech |
| Qualifier | Diana Shnaider [14] |
| Ons Jabeur [9] | Naomi Osaka |
| Elise Mertens | Qualifier |
| Qualifier | Viktoriya Tomova |
| BYE | Liudmila Samsonova [6] |
| Jessica Pegula [3] | BYE |
| Nadia Podoroska | Karolina Pliskova |
| Qualifier | Elisabetta Cocciaretto |
| Shuai Zhang | Leylah Fernandez [15] |
| Victoria Azarenka [12] | Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova |
| Qualifier | Sloane Stephens |
| Anna Blinkova | Peyton Stearns |
| BYE | Madison Keys [7] |
| Emma Navarro [8] | BYE |
| Magda Linette | Rebecca Marino |
| Shelby Rogers | Elina Svitolina |
| Tatjana Maria | Marta Kostyuk [11] |
| Dayana Yastremska [16] | Yulia Putintseva |
| Qualifier | Marina Stakusic |
| Paula Badosa | Clara Tauson |
| BYE | Jelena Ostapenko [4] |
| Daria Kasatkina [5] | BYE |
| Caroline Dolehide | Amanda Anisimova |
| Bianca Andreescu | Lesia Tsurenko |
| Qualifier | Anna Kalinskaya [10] |
| Beatriz Haddad Maia [13] | Marie Bouzkova |
| Anhelina Kalinina | Katie Boulter |
| Cristina Bucsa | Yue Yuan |
| BYE | Aryna Sabalenka [2] |