On Thursday, the player list for the Saguenay National Bank Challenger was unveiled, with several Canadians set to take to the courts at the Club de tennis intérieur Saguenay from October 20 to 27, 2024. The tournament, which was first held in 2006, has been upgraded to an ITF W75+H (includes player hospitality), offering a total purse of $60,000.
“We are very excited to get things going again in Saguenay, a city that loves the sport of tennis,” said Francis Milloy, Manager of Professional and National Events in Quebec at Tennis Canada. “With a Canadian defending her title and several emerging players looking to make their mark, it’s sure to be an extraordinary week of tennis for those lucky enough to attend the matches.”
Reigning champion Katherine Sebov of Toronto, Ontario, will be back in Saguenay to defend her trophy. The world No. 288 also won the event in 2018 and is currently in search of her first title of the season, having advanced to two W75 semi-finals to date. Canadians Stacey Fung (No. 270), Carson Branstine (No. 275), and Victoria Mboko (No. 356), who all reached career-best rankings in 2024, will also be in the main draw. Fung won a W35 event and clinched her first WTA-level match this summer, Branstine has won three titles this year – including a W75 crown in Sumter, South Carolina – while Mboko, who is just 18, took home her first clay-court title in July at the W35 in Darmstadt, Germany.
Mboko will be joined by a number of talented up-and-coming players, including 18-year-old Petra Marcinko of Croatia (No. 302), who won the Australian Open Junior Championships in 2022. Thailand’s Lanlana Tararudee (No. 179) and Croatia’s Lucija Ciric Bagaric (No. 188), both only 20 years old, will be seeded No. 1 and No. 2 in Saguenay respectively. Tararudee has won titles at W50 and W35 events this season, while Ciric Bagaric has captured four crowns, all at W35 events.
Other notable names include Gabriela Knutson of Czechia, who is ranked 195th in the world and the tournament’s third seed, as well as Maria Mateas of the United States, who won the Granby National Bank Championships earlier this summer and is 210th in the world rankings. Canadians Kayla Cross, Cadence Brace, Isabelle Boulais, Ana Grubor, Mia Kupres and Ariana Arseneault will take part in the qualifying rounds, vying for a spot in the main draw.
In addition to the list of players, the tournament has announced that it will be going one step further in
terms of green initiatives for this year’s event. “As part of its ongoing commitment to improving the experience for players and fans alike, the Challenger has taken the eco-friendly approach it began last year one step further,” commented tournament director Caroline Delisle. “Firstly, by setting up its online ticketing service, and more specifically, in collaboration with the City of Saguenay to maximize the handling of waste materials produced throughout the tournament.”
For a complete entry list of the Saguenay National Bank Challenger, click here.
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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