National Bank Open welcomes World’s Top Women Tennis Players
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The top women tennis players in the world will compete in Montréal at the 2025 National Bank Open presented by Rogers.
The prestigious Hologic WTA 1000 tournament will be held at Montréal’s IGA Stadium in Jarry Park from July 26 to August 7, and is widely-considered by the tennis world to be one of the best-run tournaments on the tour.
96-Player Field
The NBO entry list includes the top 68 players and four players making comebacks, having chosen to use their protected ranking. This marks the largest player field in the tournament’s history, as it enters a new expanded 12-day format with a 96-player main draw.
Headlining the field are the world’s top four players: Aryna Sabalenka (No. 1), Coco Gauff (No. 2), Jessica Pegula (No. 3) and Iga Swiatek (No. 4).
In addition to these four players, the remainder of the Top 10 – Jasmine Paolini (No. 5), Qinwen Zheng (No. 6), Mirra Andreeva (No. 7), Madison Keys (No. 8), Paula Badosa (No. 9) and Emma Navarro (No. 10) – are all set to take part in the Canadian event.
Other notable names include Elina Svitolina (No. 13) and Belinda Bencic (No. 35), the 2017 and 2015 NBO champions, respectively; and Wimbledon champions Barbora Krejcikova (No. 16) Marketa Vondrousova (No. 73 using a protected ranking) and Elena Rybakina (No. 11).
In total, 12 Grand Slam champions will be part of the action in Montréal, one of the deepest fields of contenders ever showcased at IGA Stadium.
“The 2025 NBO marks a turning point in the history of tennis in Montréal and Québec, as our tournament – already one of the most prestigious in the world – promises to be one of the most exciting editions ever,” says tournament director Valérie Tétreault. “The quality and depth of the women’s field this year is simply exceptional – from Grand Slam champions to rising stars, nearly every top WTA player will be in Montréal this summer.”
Click here for the full draw.
Oh Canada!
Canadian tennis fans will be thrilled to cheer on homegrown talent.
Leading the charge in the main draw is Montréal-born Leylah Annie Fernandez (No. 38), Canada’s top-ranked singles player, returning for her sixth NBO appearance. A fan favourite, Fernandez has reached the quarter-finals at two events this season and will be eager to make a deep run on home soil, having previously advanced to the third round the last time she competed in Montréal.
Two main-draw wild cards have been awarded to Canadians Victoria Mboko (No. 97) and Bianca Andreescu (No. 148) who is excited to return: “Playing in front of my home crowd is always a privilege that I look forward to. See you soon in Montréal!”
Family weekend activities
There are plenty of family-oriented activities to entertain tennis fans during The Family Weekend (July 26 to 27).
The hugely popular ball hockey game features WTA Tour players and PWHL and NHL stars.
Free admission is offered to all fans on these days, and a variety of fun and friendly family activities are organized on the grounds of IGA Stadium. Click here for more details and to obtain your free-admission tickets.
Other events taking place during the tournament are TennisFest Montreal on August 2 and 3, and the first-ever Montréal Edition of UNMATCHED: Gender Equity in Sports Conference on August 6.
Free public transport
Public transport is free for holders of mobile tournament tickets. Present your mobile ticket on the day of your session. Click here for info.
National Bank Open 101
The NBO is a Tennis Canada-owned and operated world-class tournament which is celebrating the 132nd anniversary of their women’s WTA event (their 144th men’s ATP tournament is being simultaneously held in Toronto this year). The NBO is the third-oldest title in tennis, behind only Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and the oldest tennis tournament that is not a Grand Slam.
The first NBO under the tournament’s new format begins with qualifying on Saturday, July 26. Main-draw play runs from Sunday, July 27, through Thursday, August 7, at IGA Stadium. The top 32 seeds will receive first-round byes and will begin play on Tuesday, July 29, or Wednesday, July 30.
Six additional main-draw wild cards are still to be announced, including the winner of the Road to the NBO competition, Tennis Canada’s new initiative supporting emerging Canadian talent. They will be revealed closer to the start of the event.
This year’s tournament also marks a significant step toward gender equity. As part of its Game. Set. Equity. commitment, Tennis Canada is increasing prize money for women players as both draws expand to 12 days. In 2025, WTA prize money will rise to nearly 60% of the ATP purse, on track for full parity by 2027. At that time, total WTA prize money is projected to reach nearly $10 million USD, an increase of 350% over four years.
Download the NBO app here.
The National Bank Open presented by Rogers runs from July 26 to August 7. For tickets and more information, visit omniumbanquenationale.com.
Richard Burnett
Richard “Bugs” Burnett is a Canadian freelance writer, editor, journalist, blogger and columnist for alt-weeklies, mainstream and LGBTQ+ publications. Bugs also knows Montréal like a drag queen knows a cosmetics counter.