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The Canadian Open will start in Toronto on August 8 with a number of top players competing in the women's singles event. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek will be the heavy favorite to win while the likes of Paula Badosa, Ons Jabeur, Maria Sakkari, Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula are also in contention.
Local favorites Leylah Fernandez and Bianca Andreescu will also enter the WTA 1000 tournament, with the former making her return to action after suffering a foot fracture at the French Open.
Serena Williams and Venus Williams will both compete in Toronto, with the former entering the tournament's main draw with a protected ranking, while the latter received a wildcard.
What is the Canadian Open?
The Canadian Open is one of the oldest and most prestigious tournaments on the WTA Tour. The women's competition started in 1892 and has been a regular fixture ever since.
Over the years, the tournament has undergone a lot of name changes. It started as the Canadian Championships before being renamed to the Canadian Open in 1968. The tournament was known as the du Maurier Open from 1997-2000 before being renamed to the Canada Masters from 2001-2004.
It was called the Rogers Cup in 2005 until 2019, when the name was changed to the National Bank Open.
The Canadian Open has been held almost every year since the Open Era, with 2020 being the only year the tournament was not held owing to COVID-19.
Lois Moyes Bickle is the most successful players in the history of the competition, winning it 10 times. Monica Seles and Chris Evert have been the most triumphant in the Open Era, winning it four times each.
Other big names who have won the tournament include Steffi Graf, Serena Williams and Martina Navratilova, among others. Camila Giorgi was the women's singles champion in 2021, defeating Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 7-5 in the final.
Players
Several top players will be competing at the Canadian Open this year, with Iga Swiatek being a heavy favorite to win. The Pole has had an exceptional season in 2022, winning six titles so far.
She has won all of the WTA 1000 tournaments on hard courts and will be keen to triumph in Toronto after suffering a quarterfinal exit in front of her home crowd in Warsaw.
Ons Jabeur and Paula Badosa will also have high expectations entering the tournament. The former reached the Wimbledon final and won her maiden WTA 1000 title in Madrid.
Badosa looks to be in good touch as she is in the semifinals of the Silicon Valley Classic and will be eager to have a deep run in Toronto.
The likes of Maria Sakkari, Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula are also capable of challenging for the title.
Canadian Open Schedule
The tournament is scheduled to take place from August 8-15, with the main draw for the women's singles event starting on Monday.
Prize Money
The winner of the women's singles tournament at the National Bank Open will receive a prize money $915,295 while the runner-up will be paid $499,830. The semifinalists will pocket $273,320 each and the quarterfinalists will earn $149,085.
Where to Watch
Viewers in the United States can watch the Canadian Open on the Tennis Channel while those in Canada can catch all the action live on TVA Sports and Sportsnet. Tennis fans in England can watch the WTA 1000 tournament on Amazon Prime Video.
