Dates, draws, prize money and everything you need to know

This coming week, the Hologic WTA Tour moves on to the first WTA 1000 event of this year’s North American summer hard-court swing, the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Toronto, Canada.

Seventeen of the world’s Top 20 players will compete at the seventh WTA 1000 event of 2024. It is the 55th edition of the premier tennis tournament in Canada.

The women’s singles and doubles fields return to Toronto after being hosted by Montreal in 2023. The WTA 1000 event and the concurrent ATP 1000 event alternate between Toronto and Montreal each year.

Defending champion Jessica Pegula returns, in hopes of extending her exceptional record in Canada. World No.6 Pegula holds a 12-2 career main-draw record at the event. She has never lost before the semifinals in her three main-draw appearances, at either Toronto or Montreal.

Here are more key facts about the upcoming WTA 1000 in “The Six”:

When does the tournament start?

Main-draw play will start a day later in the week than typical, on Tuesday, Aug. 6, as many players make their way across the pond from the 2024 Paris Olympics. Action in Toronto will wrap up on Monday, Aug. 12.

Qualifying rounds take place on Sunday, Aug. 4 and Monday, Aug. 5.

Toronto is on Eastern Daylight Time (GMT -4).

The Wilson US Open Regular Duty ball will be used at the National Bank Open.

How big are the fields?

The singles main draw contains 56 players, with the top eight seeds receiving first-round byes. There were 44 players who received direct entry into the main draw. Eight qualifiers and four wild cards will complete the bracket.

There will be 28 teams in the doubles main draw with four first-round byes. The doubles main draw will include three wild-card pairings.

When are the finals?

The singles final will take place on Monday, Aug. 12 at 6 p.m. local time, with the doubles final to follow.

When are the draws?

The singles main draw will be held in downtown Toronto on Saturday, Aug. 3 at 5 p.m. The doubles main draw will be made on Sunday, Aug. 4.

Who were last year’s champions?

Jessica Pegula won last year’s National Bank Open title at the Montreal site, defeating Liudmila Samsonova 6-1, 6-0 in the final. It was Pegula’s second career WTA 1000 title, after Guadalajara in 2022.

Last year’s National Bank Open doubles title went to Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara, who saved two championship points and edged past Desirae Krawczyk and Demi Schuurs 6-4, 4-6, [13-11] in Montreal.

What are the ranking points and prize money on offer in the singles main draw?

First round: 10 points | $14,800
Second round: 65 points | $20,650
Round of 16: 120 points | $36,454
Quarterfinals: 215 points | $72,965
Semifinals: 390 points | $158,944
Finalist: 650 points | $308,320
Champion: 1000 points | $523,485

Who is playing?

Here are the projected Top 8 seeds (as of Aug. 2):

1. Iga Swiatek
Ranking: No.1 (career-high No.1)
Career singles titles: 22
National Bank Open career main-draw win-loss record: 6-3
Best National Bank Open result: Semifinals (2023)

2. Coco Gauff
Ranking: No.2 (career-high No.2)
Career singles titles: 7
National Bank Open career main-draw win-loss record: 7-3
Best National Bank Open result: Quarterfinals (2021, 2022, 2023)

3. Aryna Sabalenka
Ranking: No.3 (career-high No.1)
Career singles titles: 14
National Bank Open career main-draw win-loss record: 7-5
Best National Bank Open result: Semifinals (2021)

4. Jasmine Paolini
Ranking: No.5 (career-high No.5)
Career singles titles: 2
National Bank Open career main-draw win-loss record: 1-1
Best National Bank Open result: Round of 16 (2023)

5. Jessica Pegula
Ranking: No.6 (career-high No.3)
Career singles titles: 5
National Bank Open career main-draw win-loss record: 12-2
Best National Bank Open result: Champion (2023)

6. Zheng Qinwen
Ranking: No.7 (career-high No.7)
Career singles titles: 3
National Bank Open career main-draw win-loss record: 4-2
Best National Bank Open result: Quarterfinals (2022)

7. Barbora Krejcikova
Ranking: No.10 (career-high No.2)
Career singles titles: 8
National Bank Open career main-draw win-loss record: 0-2
Best National Bank Open result: First round (2018, 2022)

8. Jelena Ostapenko
Ranking: No.11 (career-high No.5)
Career singles titles: 8
National Bank Open career main-draw win-loss record: 3-7
Best National Bank Open result: Round of 16 (2019)

The wild cards into the main draw include former World No.1 Naomi Osaka and Canadians Bianca Andreescu, Rebecca Marino and Marina Stakusic. Andreescu won the title in 2019, becoming the first Canadian woman to hoist her home-soil trophy since Faye Urban in 1969.

The former National Bank Open champions in the main draw are Elina Svitolina (2017), Andreescu (2019) and Pegula (2023).

11 Grand Slam champions are in the main draw: Seeded players Swiatek, Gauff, Sabalenka, Krejcikova and Ostapenko; wild cards Osaka and Andreescu; and Marketa Vondrousova, Victoria Azarenka, Sloane Stephens and Sofia Kenin. (Of those 11, only Andreescu has ever won this title.)

Three Top 20 players withdrew this week: Elena Rybakina (illness), Danielle Collins (injury) and Maria Sakkari (shoulder injury). Stephens, Kenin and Caroline Dolehide moved into the main draw as direct entries following those withdrawals.

How did last summer’s North American hard-court swing play out?

Here’s a look at 2023’s champions and finalists from this portion of the season on the North American continent:

Washington (WTA 500): Coco Gauff performs. Maria Saccari
Montreal (WTA 1000): Jessica Pegula def. Liudmila Samsonova
Cincinnati (WTA 1000): Coco Gauff def. Karolina Muchova
Cleveland (WTA 250): Sara Sorribes Tormo def. Ekaterina Alexandrova
US Open (Grand Slam): Coco Gauff def. Aryna Sabalenka
San Diego (WTA 500): Barbora Krejcikova def. Sofia Kenin
Guadalajara (WTA 1000): Maria Sakkari def. Caroline Dolehide