This Week On The ATP Tour – CW32

Casper Ruud during the ATP vs NHL Ball Hockey Game (photo: Peter Power/Tennis Canada)

STARNBERG, August 7, 2023

The ATP Tour’s finest head to Toronto, Canada for the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, where World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz leads the field at the sixth ATP Masters 1000 event of the year.

After a first-round bye, the 20-year-old Spaniard will face the winner of the encounter between US-American Ben Shelton and Bernabe Zapata Miralles from Spain.

“I remember that I [did] not [have] a good run last year in Canada. I came this year to change it, hopefully to have a good run, better than last year,” said the top seed at his pre-tournament press conference. “But one year later, I think I learned a lot from that situation on how to deal with the pressure, how to deal [with] everything.

“I have been playing in great stadiums in great rounds and I’m fighting for great things. I think that helped me a lot to grow up as a player, as a person, and I think one year later, I’m totally different.”

Daniil Medvedev, defending his Toronto title from 2021, is the second seed, while Casper Ruud of Norway and Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece are the third and fourth seeds, respectively.

Home hopes at Sobeys Stadium will be led by 10th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, while three-time Toronto quarterfinalist Milos Ranoic competes in just his third event since 2021.

Auger-Aliassime will open his campaign versus a qualifier in his first-round clash on Tuesday night. Competing for the fifth time in the National Bank Open, his best result came in 2022, when he reached the quarterfinal. Auger-Aliassime could find himself in a second-round matchup against three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray, who has won the NBO on three occasions.

Other eye-catching first-round clashes include Gael Monfils vs. Christopher Eubanks, Grigor Dimitrov vs. Borna Coric, Alex De Minaur vs. Cameron Norrie and Alexander Bublik vs. Hubert Hurkacz.

“What a phenomenal draw this was to help kick off what’s going to be an amazing tournament,” said Karl Harl, Tournament Director of the National Bank Open in Toronto.

“There are so many incredible matchups early on and potential showdowns in the later rounds that will help set the stage for the fierce competition that’s going to take place throughout the week.”