The ATP Challenger Tour makes a stop in Québec City for the first time, with the US Open immediately following the event.
The Québec National Bank Challenger field is led by Zizou Bergs, who is sitting at a career-high No. 33 in the ATP rankings. The Belgian No. 2 received a first-round bye and awaits either Nishesh Basavareddy or Andrea Pellegrino in his opening match.
Canadian wildcards Duncan Chan and Alexis Galarneau are also in the top half. The two can go from National Bank Open presented by Rogers teammates to quarter-final opponents in the matter of a week.
Chan’s route involves a qualifier then third seed Jan Choinski, while Galarneau must get through No. 7 seed Dino Prizmic before playing an alternate in round two.
Luca Van Assche of France leads the bottom half of the draw. The world No. 54 will meet the winner of Jurij Rodionov and Rei Sakamoto in the second round.
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Fellow Frenchman Hugo Gaston also received a first-round bye as the No. 4 seed. The world No. 97 could meet former NBO champion Alexei Popyrin in the last 16, but the Aussie must first defeat Francesco Maestrelli in his opening match.
The lone Canadian in the bottom half is Justin Boulais, who faces former Winnipeg Challenger titlist Benjamin Bonzi in round one.
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Two pairs represent the host nation in the doubles main draw. Boulais and Chan unite to take on third seeds Sander Gille and Sem Verbeek in the first round, while Nicolas Arseneault and Alexander Rozin face No. 4 seeds Finn Reynolds and James Watt.
Main-draw play begins on Tuesday afternoon following the conclusion of qualifying.
The Davis Cup is coming to Quebec City September 18 and 19 as Team Canada hosts France in the Davis Cup Qualifiers Second Round. Tickets are on sale now. CLICK HERE TO BUY YOUR TICKETS!
Feature Photo: Pascal Ratthe
