Tennis Canada – Fans are invited to take part in numerous family friendly activities while also taking in some qualifying matches and practice sessions
 
Montreal, August 2, 2018 — The 2018 edition of Rogers Cup presented by National Bank in Montreal will kick-off with bang as the IGA Family Weekend will take place from Friday, August 3 to Sunday, August 5 beginning at 10 am. For the occasion, the tournament will open its doors to the public so that fans can watch the best players in the world compete in qualifying matches and practice for free. The fun does not stop with the tennis, as there are a multitude of family-friendly activities being offered throughout the site. A celebrity match, ball hockey challenge and soccer game will also take place during this entertainment-filled weekend.
 
Practices and qualifying matches
As of Friday, August 3, fans will be able to attend the practice sessions of the best players on the WTA tour, including our Rogers Cup Montreal defending champion Simona Halep. All the outdoor courts will be accessible to the public, including Centre Court. There will also be a number of world class players competing in the qualifying matches on Saturday and Sunday, names such as Carla Suarez Navarro, former world no. 6; Monica Puig, gold medalist at the Rio Olympics; and rising star Camila Giorgi who made a deep run to quarter-finals at Wimbledon earlier this year. Spectators will be eager to welcome back fan-favourites Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova as they prepare to dispute their first round matches.
 
Celebrity Match presented by Milk
On Friday, August 3, six local personalities and two WTA players will team-up to play in the Celebrity Match presented by Milk on the National Bank Court at 2 p.m. The players will be split into two teams and will compete in tie-break format singles and doubles matches. Alexandre Barrette and Jean-René Dufort will each captain a team, with Mariana Mazza, Jean-Thomas Jobin and Lucian Bute set to participate. With names like these, it promises to be a competitive yet hilarious event.

The stars of the WTA will take on professional hockey players
The Ball Hockey Challenge presented by Knapper will be back again this year, as a number of professional hockey players are set to compete against WTA players. Alex Burrows, Antoine Roussel, Thomas Chabot, Xavier Ouellet, Stefan Matteau and Jean-François Bérubé will be joined by the stars of Les Canadiennes de Montréal Geneviève Lacasse and Katia Clément-Heydra. The fun begins at 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 4 on the National Bank Court.
 
WTA players will try their hand at soccer against the Montreal Impact
The Montreal Impact will be making a return to the Rogers Cup festivities in a friendly match against some of the best tennis players in the world. On Sunday, August 5 at 2 p.m., the National Bank Court will play host to this entertaining activity, which will feature the likes of Evan Bush, Rod Fanni, Daniel Lovitz, Rudy Camacho, Samuel Piette and Saphir Taïder. This clash of sports is a must-see event during the IGA Family Weekend.
 
Main draw matches will begin on Monday August 6.
 
Owned and operated by Tennis Canada, the prestigious Rogers Cup presented by National Bank attracts the biggest stars in tennis year after year. In 2018, the men’s event will take place at the Aviva Centre in Toronto from August 4 to 12, while the women’s event will take place at IGA Stadium in Montreal from August 3 to 12. For tickets and additional information, please visit rogerscup.com or couperogers.com.  Sportsnet is the official English broadcaster and TVA Sports is the official French broadcaster of the 2018 Rogers Cup.
 
About Rogers Cup presented by National Bank
Rogers Cup presented by National Bank is a Tennis Canada owned and operated world-class tournament celebrating its 126th anniversary of the women’s event from August 3-12, 2018 at IGA Stadium in Montreal and its 138th anniversary of the men’s event from August 4-12, 2018 at Aviva Centre in Toronto. As a WTA Premier 5 tournament, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, and US Open Series event, Rogers Cup presented by National Bank will showcase the world’s best players. Rogers Cup presented by National Bank is the third-oldest title in tennis, behind only Wimbledon and the US Open. For more information and tickets visit www.rogerscup.com.

About Tennis Canada
Founded in 1890, Tennis Canada is a non-profit, national sport association with a mission to lead the growth of tennis in Canada and a vision to become a world-leading tennis nation. We value teamwork, passion, integrity, innovation and excellence. Tennis Canada owns and operates the premier Rogers Cup presented by National Bank WTA and ATP World Tour events, 9 professional ITF sanctioned events and financially supports 13 other professional tournaments in Canada. Tennis Canada operates junior national training centres/programs in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. Tennis Canada is a proud member of the International Tennis Federation, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Canadian Paralympic Committee and the International Wheelchair Tennis Association, and serves to administer, sponsor and select the teams for Davis Cup, Fed Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and all wheelchair, junior and senior national teams. Tennis Canada invests its surplus into tennis development. For more information on Tennis Canada please visit our Web site at: www.tenniscanada.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
 
 

           
Information
 
Valerie Tetreault, Manager, Communications
    vtetreault@tenniscanada.com or 514-273-1515 ext. 6259
   
Victoria Jaklin, Coordinator, Communications and Media Relations
          vjaklin@tenniscanada.com or 514-273-1515 ext. 6291