Nadal top seed for Rogers Cup in Montreal

Rafael Nadal, the No. 2 player in the ATP Tour rankings, will be the top seed in the Rogers Cup Canadian Open men’s tennis championships, which get underway Saturday with qualifying action at Jarry Park.

A four-time champion, Nadal is returning to Montreal as the defending champion, having won the title in Toronto last year. Dominic Thiem of Austria will be the No. 2 seed, followed by 2017 winner Alexander Zverev of Germany and Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece, who lost to Nadal in last year’s final.

“We are looking forward to kicking off the 2019 edition of our tournament, as we also get ready to celebrate the 40 th anniversary of the Montreal event. During the past few years, we have seen some exceptional tennis and a number of memorable matches between tour veterans and the next generation of talent,” tournament director Eugène Lapierre said in a statement. “This year, we also have the opportunity to see many of our Canadian players take part in their home tournament. We are ready for a great week of tennis.”

Canadians Milos Raonic, Denis Shapovalov and Félx Auger-Aliassime of Montreal qualified for direct entry in the 56-man draw. Lapierre has four wild-card entries available for additional Canadian content. Brayden Schnur, the fourth Canadian in the top 100 in the ATP rankings, is certain to gain a spot.

While No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Roger Federer elected to skip the Montreal event, the tournament boasts 13 of the top 16 players in the ATP rankings.

The seedings follow the ATP Tour rankings. There are 16 seeded players and the top eight will receive first-round byes.

The Rogers Cup women’s event will be held in Toronto and French Open champion Ashleigh Barty will be the top seed.

The Jarry Park site will be open Friday for fans wishing to watch the players as they practise. The qualifying sessions will be held Saturday and Sunday and there will be free admission to the grounds on both days.