On Sunday, Liam Draxl (Newmarket, ON) defeated Belgium’s Alexander Blockx 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the championship match of the Winnipeg National Bank Challenger, claiming not only his first singles title of the season but also clinching the Road to the NBO wild card. Draxl’s success on home soil since the competition began last October, including titles in Edmonton, Saint-Augustin, and now Winnipeg, has earned him a spot in the main draw of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers (NBO) in Toronto.
“I’m so excited to be playing in my first-ever ATP main draw, in front of my friends and family too, in case it wasn’t cool enough already,” said Draxl. “I'd like to thank the fans and the organizing committee in Winnipeg for a fantastic week. As you know, the stakes were even higher for me this week, with the possibility of clinching my spot at the National Bank Open, and I'm just so happy to have come through in today's match. Toronto, I can't wait to play in front of you!”
Draxl began his journey to the title by taking on three Japanese players, Hiroki Moriya, Kenta Miyoshi and Rio Noguchi. The matches against Moriya and Noguchi were wrapped up in two quick sets, but the Newmarket native had to survive a three-set 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 battle with Miyoshi in the round of 16. In the semi-finals, Draxl eliminated China's Yi Zhou 6-2, 6-4, before defeating Blockx in a thrilling two-hour final to win the Winnipeg National Bank Challenger. The singles title is the ninth of Draxl's career, and his second in an ATP Challenger tournament.
FIRST ROAD TO THE NBO CHAMPION
The Road to the NBO was established to encourage participation in the professional tournaments held in Canada, and to give Canadian players an equal opportunity to a wild card at one of the biggest events on the tennis calendar. The way the competition works is that players earn points at events taking place on Canadian soil since the 2024 NBO, with July events being worth double the points.* And, while the Granby National Bank Championships is still to be played, Draxl's 187-point lead is enough to secure the wild card.
Draxl, world No. 147, will be making his first singles appearance in the main draw of an ATP Tour-level event. The 23-year-old has spent most of his professional career on the ATP Challenger Tour, already reaching six finals in 2025, leading all players in that category on the Challenger circuit. In February, Draxl made a winning debut for the Canadian team in the Davis Cup Qualifiers 1st Round in Montreal, Quebec, teaming up with Vasek Pospisil (Vernon, BC) to beat Hungary's Peter Fajta and Mate Valkusz in straight sets.
Four main-draw wild cards as well as four qualifying wild cards for the Toronto tournament will be announced in due course. On the WTA side, the Road to the NBO champion will be crowned at some point during this week’s Granby Championships. Kayla Cross (London, ON) currently leads the way with 120 points.
“The Road to NBO has generated a lot of excitement in the run-up to our flagship tournament, not only for the fans but also the players,” said Guillaume Marx, Vice-President of High Performance at Tennis Canada. “While the competition isn't quite over yet, with a battle ahead in Granby for the WTA wild card, we can confidently say that it has been very well received by the tournament organizing committees, the players, and the public. Enhancing our Canadian events through initiatives like the Road to the NBO are the steps we need, and will continue to take, to develop more playing opportunities for our Canadian players.”
To view the current standings and to learn more about the Road to the NBO, click here.
*One (1) ATP/WTA point equals one (1) Road to the NBO point
Photo: Pascal Ratthe
