Fall is a busy time of year for Canadian professional events as the string of tournaments get started with the brand-new W35 Quebec City National Bank Challenger.
The singles main draw will feature 12 Canadians, a majority of which are bunched in the bottom half. No. 4 seed Ariana Arseneault enters as the highest-ranked Canuck, playing in her first event on home soil since her maiden WTA 1000 main-draw appearance in Montreal at the National Bank Open. Arseneault meets Iulia Bucea in one of three all-Canadian first-round matchups in the bottom half of the draw.
Canada’s top-ranked junior Nadia Lagaev also faces a countrywoman, 15-year-old Avery Alexander who is the youngest player in the main draw.
In the top half, Canadian Ana Grubor has a tough opening match against No. 3 seed Haruna Arakawa of Japan. If Grubor manages the upset, she has potential to play Reginan Teah Chavez in the second round.
Read also: Junior Update by Har-Tru - Canadians Dominate Quebec Events
Slovakian Viktoria Hruncakova is the tournament’s top seed. The 27-year-old reached the semifinal at the Saguenay National Bank Challenger and Telvin Challenger in 2024.
Three Canucks are seeded in the doubles main draw as Arseneault once again leads the Canadian contingent in the Quebec capital. The Richmond Hillian is the No. 1 seed alongside Jenny Duerst of Switzerland.
The all-Canadian duo of Raphaelle Lacasse and Alexandra Vagramov are the No. 4 seeds. Vagramov won her first ITF doubles title in Granby earlier this year.
Lacasse and Vagramov will open the tournament against teens Andrea Cabio and Laurence Demers, who were both recently named to Canada’s Billie Jean King Cup Junior Finals team.
The Quebec City main draw begins on Tuesday at the Club Avantage Multi-Sports.
Feature Photo: Tim Austen
