GATINEAU, February 14, 2018 (Press Release)
The players list for the 11th edition of the Gatineau Futures presented by the Turpin Group, National Bank Financial, was unveiled on Wednesday. Sanctioned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the tournament, which offers $25, 000 U.S. in total prize money, will be held from February 24 to March 4, 2018 at the Sporthèque in Gatineau.
Playing in his first Gatineau Futures will be recently appointed Canadian Davis Cup captain Frank Dancevic (Niagara Falls, ON). Although it will be his first time at this tournament, Dancevic has experienced quite a bit of success on the Canadian circuit, having won a total of eight singles titles on home soil. The former world no. 65 (2007), has posted two Top 10 wins in his career over Andy Roddick and David Nalbandian, has reached two ATP 250 finals in Indianapolis and Eastbourne and pushed Rafael Nadal to three sets in the Rogers Cup quarter-finals in 2007. The new first-time dad is looking to build off of his strong finish to the 2017 season, which saw him reach the semi-finals at the Columbus Challenger and the quarter-finals at the Tiburon Challenger. Joining Dancevic in the Gatineau main draw will be Samuel Monette (Montreal, QC), who is currently ranked a career-high world no. 480. The 24-year-old is coming off a solid 2017 season, where he moved up over 1000 ranking spots and crack into the Top 500 for the first time. He also won the first singles title of his career at the Bruno Agostinelli Futures in Niagara, Ontario. He also captured the doubles crown at that same tournament.
Four Canadians are slated to received wildcards for the tournament, one of which has been awarded to the local club player Sébastien Collard. The 17-year-old lost in the second round of qualifications last year in Gatineau. The other main draw wildcard recipients will be announced at a later date. Local players Benjamin Lortie and Jean-Baptiste Mattesco have received wildcards into the qualifying draw.
“Interest in tennis in Canada is currently at an all-time high thanks to our players who are making a name for themselves locally, nationally and internationally. The increase in Canadian players on the professional circuit is an encouraging sign for the future of our sport,” said Tournament Director Francis Milloy. “Tournaments such as the Gatineau Futures are an excellent opportunity to watch high-caliber tennis featuring both tour veterans and rising stars.”
Eight countries will be represented in the main draw during the 2018 edition of the Gatineau Futures, with world no. 210 Vincent Millot of France leading the way. Millot, the tournament’s top seed, is a familiar face to many local tennis fans, as he won the title in 2009 and was a finalist in 2012 and has been a regular on the Canadian circuit of tournaments, both at the Futures and Challenger level, for numerous years. Another player fans will want to keep their eyes on is 21-year-old American Christopher Eubanks, who notably made a name for himself by reaching the quarter-finals at the ATP 250 event in Atlanta last year, defeating his compatriots Taylor Fritz (no. 125) and Jared Donaldson (no. 59) along the way. Returning to Gatineau for a second consecutive year is American JC Aragone who made a run to the quarter-finals in 2017 after having to qualify for a spot in the main draw.
The Gatineau Futures presented by the Turpin Group, National Bank Financial, is the first in a series of three tournaments that will be played in Quebec during the months of February and March. The event will be followed by the Sherbrooke Futures and the Drummondville National Bank Challenger.
