OFFICIAL DRAW FOR ROGERS CUP PRESENTED BY NATIONAL BANK SET IN TORONTO

Written by: Staff on 3rd August 2013

OFFICIAL DRAW FOR ROGERS CUP PRESENTED BY NATIONAL BANK SET IN TORONTO

epa03760826 Eugenie Bouchard of Canada celebrates her straight sets victory over Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in their second round match for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 26 June 2013. EPA/TOM HEVEZI |

Canadian Eugenie Bouchard to play Alisa Kleybanova in first round; World No. 1 Serena Williams to take on qualifier or Francesca Schiavone in opening match

Toronto, August 3, 2013 – The official draw for the 2013 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank in Toronto was conducted on Saturday at Rexall Centre. Canada’s No. 1-ranked player Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que. will take on former Rogers Cup semifinalist Alisa Kleybanova in the first round, while a potential match-up between world No. 1 Serena Williams and her sister Venus looms in the third round.

The Top 8 seeds all receive a first-round bye, with No. 1 seed Serena Williams set to take on the winner of the match between a qualifier and 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone in her first match. No. 2 seed Victoria Azarenka will play either Romanian Sorana Cirstea or a qualifier in her opener. No. 3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska was placed in Serena’s half while No. 4 Li Na, who attended the draw, could face Azarenka in the semifinals.

Among the exciting first-round matches set to take place over the first two days of main draw competition is a battle between talented up-and-comers Sloane Stephens of the United States and Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic. Stephens made her first Slam semifinal at the Australian Open in January, defeating Serena Williams en route, while Canadian fans will be familiar with Mladenovic, as the 20-year-old captured the Wimbledon mixed doubles trophy in July with Daniel Nestor. In another first-round match, Venus Williams will duel with No. 13 seed and recent Wimbledon semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens.

In Canadian news, Bouchard will take on Kleybanova, in what will be the Russian’s first WTA match in over a year and only second WTA tournament since 2011. Kleybanova, a former world No. 20 who reached the semifinals in Toronto in 2009, recently returned to the sport after a battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The No. 58-ranked Bouchard, who ousted Ana Ivanovic at Wimbledon last month, made the second round in Montreal last year. Awaiting the victor of Bouchard-Kleybanova is defending champion and No. 6 seed Petra Kvitova.

The two other Canadians in the main draw, Toronto’s own Sharon Fichman and Stephanie Dubois of Laval, Que. will take on each other in the first round. The two Fed Cup teammates have played each other four times in professional competition, with Dubois holding a 3-1 advantage. The winner of the all-Canadian duel will face No. 15 seed Jelena Jankovic or a qualifier in the second round.

World No. 20 Nadia Petrova withdrew from the tournament prior to the draw and will be replaced by a lucky loser. The 12 qualifiers and one lucky loser will be placed in the main draw at random following the conclusion of the qualifying draw on Sunday.

Click here to view the complete main draw.

Rogers Cup presented by National Bank takes place at Rexall Centre in Toronto from August 3-11, 2013, and tickets can be purchased at www.rogerscup.com or by calling 1-877-2TENNIS. Rogers Cup presented by National Bank in Montreal, featuring the top stars of the ATP World Tour, takes place at Uniprix Stadium August 3-11, 2013 and tickets can also be purchased by visiting the Rogers Cup website or calling 1-855-TENNIS-0.