TORONTO, July 24, 2023 (Tennis Canada Press Release)
Canadians Vasek Pospisil (Vernon, BC), Gabriel Diallo (Montreal, QC) and Alexis Galarneau (Laval, QC) will join compatriot Milos Raonic (Thornhill, ON) in receiving main draw wild cards for the 2023 National Bank Open presented by Rogers, Tennis Canada announced on Monday.
Pospisil recently made his return to action at Wimbledon qualifying and took part in the Granby National Bank Championships last week. The 33-year-old achieved a career-high ranking of No. 25 on the ATP Tour in 2014, the same year he reached the semi-finals of the National Bank Open and won the Wimbledon doubles final. Pospisil played a key role in Team Canada presented by Sobeys’ run to the Davis Cup title last November, featuring regularly in singles and doubles.
Montreal’s Diallo will be playing in his first National Bank Open main draw. The 21-year-old won his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title last August when he collected the trophy in Granby and recently achieved a career-high ranking of No. 139. In June, he reached the quarter-finals on grass in Nottingham. Diallo was part of Team Canada’s roster for the Davis Cup finals in Malaga, Spain last year, having made his debut appearance in the competition during the Group Stage in September.
Rounding out the list of Canadian wild card recipients is Galarneau. The 24-year-old also took part in the Granby Championships last week and ended up claiming the title as the No. 7 seed. At last year’s National Bank Open – his first taste of main draw action at his home event – he competed well against No. 16 seed Grigor Dimitrov in his first-round match before losing 6-4, 7-5. Galarneau was also a member of Canada’s triumphant Davis Cup team in 2022, featuring in singles against the Netherlands in the Qualifiers and Serbia in the Group Stage.
“We’re delighted to be able to offer main draw wild cards to Vasek, Gabriel and Alexis,” said Karl Hale, Tournament Director of the National Bank Open – Toronto. “Not only do all three players bring additional quality to an already star-studded player field, but the fact we are able to provide this opportunity to three deserving Canadians is important in showcasing home-grown talent. The fans are eager to see these players in action in their home tournament and we know all of them are capable of making an exciting run in Toronto.”
The addition of Pospisil, Diallo and Galarneau means that six Canadians will feature in the event’s main draw with Félix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov and Raonic having already been confirmed to participate at Sobeys Stadium from August 5-13.
Qualifying entry list announced
Tennis Canada also confirmed the entry list for the National Bank Open’s qualifying draw with threetime Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland set to feature on 407 ETR Family Weekend (Saturday, August 5 and Sunday, August 6), during which access to the site is free for fans.
Joining him in the qualifying draw is the Netherland’s Botic van de Zandschlup (ranked No. 45), the USA’s JJ Wolf (No. 47), Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori (No. 48) and 2016 National Bank Open finalist Kei Nishikori of Japan, who uses his protected ranking. Click here to see the entry list.
