MONTREAL, June 28, 2018 (Press Release)
Tennis Canada announced Wednesday the list of players who will participate in the Winnipeg National Bank Challenger. The tournament features a mixed draw, with the men competing in the $75,000 Challenger event and the women in the $25,000 ITF Challenger event. The tournament will be played at the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club from July 7-15, 2018.
Peter Polansky (Thornhill, ON), Filip Peliwo (Vancouver, BC), Brayden Schnur (Pickering, ON) and Frank Dancevic (Niagara Falls, ON) will be competing in the men’s main draw. Polansky, last year’s finalist, has had a good start to the 2018 season, qualifying for the main draws in the first two Grand Slam tournaments of the year and on the verge of breaking into the Top 100 for the first time in his career. Schnur has also been getting some good results, notably on the Challenger tour where he reached two semi-finals and one final since the start of the year. Peliwo and Dancevic, ranked world no. 184 and 308 respectively, will round out the Canadian contingent in the main draw. Peliwo is coming off a stellar 2017 season where he captured seven singles titles, including his first career Challenger title. For his part, Dancevic was appointed captain of the Canadian Davis Cup team earlier this year. The former world no. 65 (2007), has been a mainstay on the Canadian circuit, having won a total of eight singles titles on home soil.
“There will be no shortage of Canadian content at this year’s tournament in Winnipeg, as seven players are set to compete in the main draw. We always strive to have as many local players as possible and we are very pleased with this year’s lists,” stated Jared Connell, the Tournament Director. “Our fans will have the opportunity to cheer on not only experienced tour veterans, but also the next generation of young stars. Tennis in Canada is on the rise and Challenger tournaments like this one in Winnipeg are right at the heart.”
Bianca Andreescu (Mississauga, ON) will lead the charge in the women’s draw. The tournament’s top seed has already reached two singles finals since the start of the year at tournaments in Japan. The 18-year-old Andreescu was also a key member of Canada’s winning Fed Cup team during the World Group II play-off in April, upsetting Ukraine in the deciding doubles rubber playing alongside Gabriela Dabrowski.
She will be joined by fellow Canadians Katherine Sebov (Toronto, ON) and Rebecca Marino (Vancouver, BC). Sebov is still in search of her first title on the professional circuit, having reached the final at the Granby National Bank Challenger last summer. After stepping away from the game in 2013, Marino is in the midst of a successful comeback, winning three consecutive titles in Turkey and breaking back into the Top 500 after beginning the year with no ranking. The wild cards will be announced at a later date.
On the international front, fans might recognize the names of a quite a few players, including Marcel Granollers of Spain who reached a career high singles ranking of no. 19 in 2012. He has won a total of four singles titles and 13 doubles titles on the professional circuit, including the 2012 ATP World Tour Finals, playing alongside compatriot Marc Lopez.
The Winnipeg National Bank Challenger is the first of three mixed draw Challenger tournaments in Canada held during the month of July. The tournament will be followed by events in Gatineau and Granby.
118 Granollers, Marcel (ESP)
133 Mmoh, Michael (USA)
162 Kubler, Jason (AUS)
167 Ito, Tatsuma (JPN)
180 Soeda, Go (JPN)
185 Peliwo, Filip (CAN)
203 Harrison, Christian (USA)
234 Uchiyama, Yasutaka (JPN)
239 Koepfer, Dominik (GER)
246 Ilkel, Cem (TUR)
249 Napolitano, Stefano (ITA)
258 Millot, Vincent (FRA)
263 Grigelis, Laurynas (LTU)
271 Watanuki, Yosuke (JPN)
273 Neuchrist, Maximilian (AUT)
276 Li, Zhe (CHN)
303 Uchida, Kaichi (JPN)
307 Miedler, Lucas (AUT)
312 Takahashi, Yusuke (JPN)
313 Mousley, Bradley (AUS)
314 Dancevic, Frank (CAN)
322 Menezes, Joao (BRA)
