Multiple former Grand Slam champions will need to play in qualifying for the 2024 Canadian Open in Toronto.
Qualifiers will take place on August 4th and 5th ahead of the 2024 Canadian Open in Toronto, also called the National Bank Open, because of sponsorship reasons, before the main draw starts on August 6th.
As one of the WTA 1000 tournaments with a draw of only 56 players, the entry list for the 2024 Canadian Open is stacked with only top names, not leaving a place for multiple former major winners.
One of them is the 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu, who was the last player to make it to the qualifying entry list. She played the Canadian Open only once, in 2022, losing her first-round match to Camila Giorgi, so the British player is still searching for her first win in Canada.
Sloane Stephens, who won the 2017 US Open and reached the final in Canada in 2018, is another former Grand Slam winner who could play in the 2024 Canadian Open qualifying.
However, the 31-year-old American is already the second player on the qualifying entry list, meaning she's also the second alternate into the main draw list. That means that only two withdrawals will see her promoted into the main draw, and that is a very likely scenario.
Sofia Kenin, on the other hand, can't rely on withdrawals. She would need eight of those, and that's not very likely to happen, as the 2020 Australian Open champion will likely have to fight her way through the qualifying, like Raducanu.
In addition to the three former Grand Slam champions, former World No. 1 player Karolina Pliskova is enrolled in the qualifying tournament for the 2024 Canadian Open.
However, she's even one place higher than Stephens on the list, meaning she's the first alternate. Only one withdrawal will see her move up into the main draw, which could be considered almost a certainty.
Due to the star power these players bring, it could be expected that some of them may be awarded a wild card entry into the main draw of the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
The tournament organizers announced on their website that fans will get a chance to see these players during the qualifying weekend, and according to the words of the Tournament Director Karl Hale, they pride themselves in having such a strong qualifying field.
"It’s a testament to the strength-in-depth of the WTA Tour and the women’s game that we’re able to confirm such a strong qualifying list for this year’s National Bank Open presented by Rogers."
"We look forward to welcoming all of the players to Toronto next month and we know it will be a fierce competition to see who will claim the all-important places in the main draw. Fans will need no more encouragement than the names on that list to join us during 407 ETR Family Weekend, which is free for all attendees."