MONTREAL, August 3, 2018 (Press Release)
The 2018 edition of Rogers Cup presented by National Bank in Montreal will kick-off with bang as the IGA Family Weekend will take place from Friday, August 3 to Sunday, August 5 beginning at 10 am. For the occasion, the tournament will open its doors to the public so that fans can watch the best players in the world compete in qualifying matches and practice for free. The fun does not stop with the tennis, as there are a multitude of family-friendly activities being offered throughout the site. A celebrity match, ball hockey challenge and soccer game will also take place during this entertainment-filled weekend.
Practices and qualifying matches
As of Friday, August 3, fans will be able to attend the practice sessions of the best players on the WTA tour, including our Rogers Cup Montreal defending champion Simona Halep. All the outdoor courts will be accessible to the public, including Centre Court. There will also be a number of world class players competing in the qualifying matches on Saturday and Sunday, names such as Carla Suarez Navarro, former world no. 6; Monica Puig, gold medalist at the Rio Olympics; and rising star Camila Giorgi who made a deep run to quarter-finals at Wimbledon earlier this year. Spectators will be eager to welcome back fan-favourites Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova as they prepare to dispute their first round matches.
Celebrity Match presented by Milk
On Friday, August 3, six local personalities and two WTA players will team-up to play in the Celebrity Match presented by Milk on the National Bank Court at 2 p.m. The players will be split into two teams and will compete in tie-break format singles and doubles matches. Alexandre Barrette and Jean-René Dufort will each captain a team, with Mariana Mazza, Jean-Thomas Jobin and Lucian Bute set to participate. With names like these, it promises to be a competitive yet hilarious event.
The stars of the WTA will take on professional hockey players
The Ball Hockey Challenge presented by Knapper will be back again this year, as a number of professional hockey players are set to compete against WTA players. Alex Burrows, Antoine Roussel, Thomas Chabot, Xavier Ouellet, Stefan Matteau and Jean-François Bérubé will be joined by the stars of Les Canadiennes de Montréal Geneviève Lacasse and Katia Clément-Heydra. The fun begins at 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 4 on the National Bank Court.
WTA players will try their hand at soccer against the Montreal Impact
The Montreal Impact will be making a return to the Rogers Cup festivities in a friendly match against some of the best tennis players in the world. On Sunday, August 5 at 2 p.m., the National Bank Court will play host to this entertaining activity, which will feature the likes of Evan Bush, Rod Fanni, Daniel Lovitz, Rudy Camacho, Samuel Piette and Saphir Taïder. This clash of sports is a must-see event during the IGA Family Weekend.
Main draw matches will begin on Monday August 6.
