It’s almost time for the final Masters tournament before the Olympic Games as the best of the ATP World Tour head to Toronto for the Rogers Cup! The tournament, played on hard courts, is also part of the WTA tour, with the two switching between Toronto and Montreal as their respective venues.
Wimbledon winner Andy Murray won the men’s singles title last year, defeating Novak Djokovic in a three-set encounter; Swiss ace Belinda Bencic won the women’s singles for her own debut Masters title, beating Simona Halep after the Romanian retired three sets into the match; the two had netted one set apiece at the time, with Bencic leading 3-0 in the third.
Both defending champions – Murray and Bencic – have announced their withdrawal from the tournament, each on their respective Olympic teams.
American twins Bob and Mike Bryan, arguably the most successful men’s doubles pair in the history of tennis, beat the seasoned doubles pair of Daniel Nestor and Edouard Roger-Vasselin7-6, 3-6, 10-6.
India’s Rohan Bopanna was seeded 4th at the tournament with partner Florin Mergea; the pair had a second-round exit.
A number of top players have withdrawn from the tournament, however, given that they will be playing at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
Key withdrawals
Andy Murray
Roger Federer
Rafael Nadal
Belinda Bencic
Men’s Top 10 seeds
Novak Djokovic [1]
Stan Wawrinka [2]
Kei Nishikori [3]
Milos Raonic [4]
Tomas Berdych [5]
Dominic Thiem [6]
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga [7]
David Goffin [8]
Marin Cilic [9]
Roberto Bautista Agut [10]
As a result of the withdrawals, Canada’s Vasek Pospisil moves up into the main draw; he was earlier a wildcard.
Given that most of his main competitors will be absent, this tournament looks like Novak Djokovic’s to lose; he could face Wimbledon runner-up Milos Raonic in the semi-finals; local hope Raonic is fresh off a strong season, beginning the year with a title win, and is now fresh off a mammoth victory over Roger Federer at the semi-finals of Wimbledon.
Women’s Top 10 seeds
Serena Williams [1]
Angelique Kerber [2]
Garbiñe Muguruza [3]
Agnieszka Radwanska [4]
Simona Halep [5]
Venus Williams [6]
Roberta Vinci [7]
Carla Suarez Navarro [8]
Svetlana Kuznetsova [9]
Madison Keys [10]
