Canadian women tennis players Eugenie Bouchard and Leylah Annie Fernandez earned their wild-card entries for the Toronto Rogers Cup main draw, Tennis Canada said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
The additions bring to three the number of players that will represent the country in this Masters 1000 series tournament.
Bouchard, ranked 114th in the world, will be competing at the Rogers Cup for the 12th time in his career, will be looking to improve her career; a place in the third round acquired in 2016.
The biggest beneficiary was Fernandez, the 16-year-old will participate in the main draw for the first time. Last year, she fell on the last lap of qualifying in Montreal.
Fernandez has already become the first Canadian woman to win the women’s junior title at Roland Garros. She was also crowned singles and doubles champion of the Gatineau Challenger, as well as having recently been a finalist at the Granby Challenger.
“I am satisfied with the way I played this week. You learn something from every match, no matter a win or a loss, and I feel like I am leaving Gatineau with more experience which will hopefully help me in the future,” Fernandez said after capturing her first professional single’s title.
Two other wild-card entries were awarded to Russia’s Maria Sharapova and American icon Venus Williams. In addition, Tennis Canada has clarified that the name of the recipient of the final main board pass will be announced at a later date.
The Canadian contingent could increase over the next few days as Montreal’s Francoise Abanda, along with Katherine Sebov of Toronto, Carol Zhao of Richmond Hill, Ont, and Gabriela Dabrowski of Ottawa earned wild-card entry for the qualifications of the tournament.
Two additional places have also been reserved for the finalists of the prequalification tournament which runs from July 30 to August 1 at the Aviva Center.
The women’s Rogers Cup will be played August 3-11 at the Aviva Center in Toronto.
