Canadian Summer Hard Court Swing Begins in Laval and Saskatoon

Summer is officially here and that means the Canadian July and August hard court swing on the pro circuit is set to get underway this week in Laval and Saskatoon.

The $60,000 ITF women’s event in Saskatoon will feature a strong home contingent led by sixth-seeded Stacey Fung who has already won three singles titles this season. Joining Fung in the main draw are her compatriots Kayla Cross, Bianca Jolie Fernandez, Mia Kupres, Victoria Mboko, Ora Ogilvy, Martyna Ostrzygalo, and recent NCAA finalist Layne Sleeth.

Last year, Mboko won the first pro title of her young career in Saskatoon and will be looking to repeat as champion in 2023.

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Meanwhile, Kimberly Birrell of Australia, ranked no. 117 on the WTA rankings, is the top seed and American Kayla Day is seeded no. 2. Her compatriots Emina Bektas and Sachia Vickery round out the top 4 seeds in this year’s tournament.

Across the country, Laval is hosting a $25,000 men’s ITF event at Parc St-Victor. The inaugural edition will include a whole slew of Canadians, most notably Liam Draxl, Taha Baadi, Marko Stakusic, Joshua Lapadat, and Jaden Weekes. American Alafia Ayeni ranked no. 406 in the world, and Alexandr Cozbinov of Moldova are the top seeds.

The professional tennis summer calendar in Canada also includes stops in Granby, Winnipeg, and St-Augustin during the months of July and August. Not to mention the National Bank Open presented by Rogers when all the best players in the world will showcase their talents in Montreal and Toronto.