Tennis Canada – Canada welcomes the world’s best from August 3 to 12 

Montréal, July 30, 2018 – On Monday, Tennis Canada announced the names of the seeds for the 2018 edition of Rogers Cup presented by National Bank in Montreal and Toronto. The ATP and WTA World No.1s will come first in their respective draws, as Rafael Nadal headlines in Toronto and Simona Halep leads the field in Montréal. The seedings will follow the official ATP World Tour and WTA rankings released today (Monday, July 30) with the Top 16-ranked players entered in each tournament being seeded. The Top 8 seeds will receive a first-round bye.  

“We have an outstanding field in Toronto this year with 19 of the Top 20 ATP players in the world and we can’t wait to welcome them back to our city,” said Karl Hale, Rogers Cup Toronto tournament director. “Men’s tennis has never been more competitive and with Andy Murray a wild card and Novak Djokovic as No.9 seed, we will have exciting match-ups right from round one this year. We can’t wait to see who will bring their best form to Toronto and be crowned our 2018 Rogers Cup champion.”

  The winner of the 2005, 2008 and 2013 Rogers Cup events, Nadal will be out to claim a fourth title. In 2017, he was caught off guard in the third round by Canadian Denis Shapovalov, who will try to recreate last season’s magic. Alexander Zverev is seeded second and hopes to defend his hard-earned title from Montréal. The ninth seed, Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic, is also one to keep a close eye on.

  “I have happy memories from my time on court and outside the court in Toronto and it’s always a highlight on my calendar,” said Djokovic. “The tournament looks after us so well and the fans are always passionate about their tennis. After a dream run at Wimbledon, I’m really motivated going into the hard-court season so I look forward to enjoying my time there.”

  In Montréal, Simona Halep will be on the hunt for her second Canadian title, after bringing home the trophy in 2016. She faces dangerous rivals including 2010 champion Caroline Wozniacki (2). Halep and Wozniacki, who won their first Grand Slam titles this season, will battle the likes of Wimbledon finalists Angelique Kerber and Serena Williams. Williams will be setting her sights on winning her first crown since returning to the game after the birth of her daughter.  

  “We’re gearing up for another phenomenal week,” said Eugène Lapierre, tournament director of Rogers Cup in Montréal. “We’re ready for another dream tournament after last year’s exceptional edition and are eagerly awaiting the best players on the women’s circuit on the courts at IGA Stadium. Superstars like Simona Halep, local favourites like Eugenie Bouchard, remarkable returning champions like Serena Williams and emerging talents like Daria Kasatkina are sure to impress. The final preparations are underway to provide players and fans with a memorable experience.” 

  In Toronto, 16 of the top 17 players make up the 16 seeds. In Montréal, the Top 16 are all on hand.

  The official draws of both tournaments to determine the roadmap of potential matches for the week ahead will be held on Friday, August 3.  

  Complete list of seedings

ROGERS CUP PRESENTED BY NATIONAL BANK MONTRÉAL

SEEDING	PLAYER	RANKING
1	Simona Halep (ROU)	1
2	Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)	2
3	Sloane Stephens (USA)	3
4	Angelique Kerber (GER)	4
5	Elina Svitolina (UKR)	5
6	Caroline Garcia (FRA)	6
7	Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP)	7
8	Petra Kvitova (CZE)	8
9	Karolina Pliskova (CZE)	9
10	Julia Goerges (GER)	10
11	Jelena Ostapenko (LAT)	11
12	Madison Keys (USA)	12
13	Daria Kasatkina (RUS)	13
14	Venus Williams (USA)	14
15	Elise Mertens (BEL)	15
16	Ashleigh Barty (AUS)	16

ROGERS CUP PRESENTED BY NATIONAL BANK TORONTO

SEEDING	PLAYER	RANKING
1	Rafael Nadal (ESP)	1
2	Alexander Zverev (GER)	3
3	Juan Martin del Potro (ARG)	4
4	Kevin Anderson (RSA)	5
5	Grigor Dimitrov (BGR)	6
6	Marin Cilic (CRO)	7
7	Dominic Thiem (AUT)	8
8	John Isner (USA)	9
9	Novak Djokovic (SRB)	10
10	David Goffin (BEL)	11
11	Diego Schwartzman (ARG)	12
12	Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP)	13
13	Jack Sock (USA)	14
14	Fabio Fognini (ITA)	15
15	Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP)	16
16	Nick Kyrgios (AUS)	17

  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 Montréal 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  .

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Media contacts (Montréal) 
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