On Thursday, Tennis Canada announced the list of players who will take part in the 2024 Edmonton National Bank Challenger, the second edition of the event held in the Albertan capital. Hosted at the Royal Glenora Club from October 7 to 13, the tournament features a men’s and women’s $25,000 ITF event.
“This summer, we held fantastic events in Winnipeg and Granby as part of our National Bank Challenger series and can’t wait to get things going again this fall, starting in Edmonton,” mentioned Ryan Borczon, Tennis Canada’s Director of Professional Events. “Fans will have the chance to witness some terrific tennis at the Royal Glenora Club, with promising up-and-coming players, experienced veterans and Canada’s own players in attendance.”
Leading the tournament as the top seed in the women’s draw is Dutchwoman Anouk Koevermans, No. 232 in the world. Koevermans, who is just 20, won the biggest title of her young career in August at the W75 event in Cordenons, Italy. The second seed will be American Liv Hovde, ranked 252nd in the WTA rankings. Earlier this season, Hovde reached her first WTA 1000 main draw, defeating Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Britain’s Harriet Dart in the qualifying rounds of the 2024 BNP Paribas Open.
Canadians Stacey Fung and Kayla Cross, seeded third and fourth respectively, will also take to the courts at the Royal Glenora Club. Fung (No. 296) of Vancouver, British Columbia, is enjoying her best year to date, having won her first WTA match during the National Bank Open presented by Rogers qualifiers, and reaching a career-high ranking of No. 222 in February. Also playing her best tennis in 2024 is London, Ontario’s Cross (No. 397), who won her first professional singles title at the W35 Saskatoon and reached the final of the Granby National Bank Championships, a W75 event. In 2023, she clinched the doubles title in Edmonton alongside Hovde.
On the men’s side, Tunisia’s Aziz Dougaz, ranked 227th in the world, will be the tournament’s top seed. The 27-year-old already has three titles under his belt this season, all at M25 events, with his most recent victory coming on Sunday in Guiyang, China. Liam Draxl of Newmarket, Ontario, will be the No. 2 seed in Edmonton. He is currently the sixth highest ranked Canadian player on the men’s circuit, sitting at the 258 th spot in the ATP rankings. Still undefeated in Edmonton, Justin Boulais of Oakville, Ontario (No. 740), will attempt to defend his 2023 crown as the 13th best ranked player in the men’s draw.
Also vying for the title in their respective main draws are Canada’s Cadence Brace and Isabelle Boulais, as well as Alvin Nicholas Tudorica, Taha Baadi, and Benjamin Thomas George. In addition, a total of 14 Canadian players will take part in the qualifying draws for both the men’s and women’s events.
For more information, updates regarding the tournament, or to purchase tickets, please visit https://edmonton.nationalbankchallenger.com/.
About Tennis Canada
Founded in 1890, Tennis Canada is a non-profit, national sport association with a mission to lead the growth, development and promotion of tennis in Canada and a vision to be a world-leading tennis nation. We value teamwork, passion, integrity, innovation and excellence. Tennis Canada owns and operates the premier National Bank Open presented by Rogers WTA and ATP Tour events, it financially supports 15 other professional tournaments in Canada, as well as operating more than 60 events nationally across junior, wheelchair, university and Masters tennis categories. Tennis Canada is a proud member of the International Tennis Federation, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee, and serves to administer, sponsor and select the teams for Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and all wheelchair, junior and masters tennis national teams. Tennis Canada invests its surplus into tennis development. For more information on Tennis Canada please visit our website at: www.tenniscanada.com and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram.
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