The Odlum Brown VanOpen is back on the ATP Challenger and WTA 125 Tour after a three-year hiatus, serving as the final Canadian professional event before the 2026 National Bank Open presented by Rogers.
ATP Challenger
The only two Canucks in the singles main draw were placed in the bottom half, both playing seeds in their opening matches.
Keegan Rice begins play against fourth-seed Pablo Llamas Ruiz of Spain, who is the highest-ranked opponent of the Reginan’s career (No. 129). Rice had previously played just one match against a Top 150 player, losing to world No. 137 Arthur Gea in Granby earlier this month.
Duncan Chan will meet No. 6 seed Dane Sweeny of Great Britain in his first-round contest. If Chan and Rice earn back-to-back wins, the countrymen will clash in the quarter-finals.
After being awarded a wildcard in Vancouver, 2024 National Bank Open champion Alexei Popyrin enters as the second seed and opens against Andy Andrade of Ecuador. The event is the former world No. 19’s final stop before beginning National Bank Open qualifying on Saturday.
Top-seed Benjamin Bonzi will also be a part of the qualifying draw in Montreal. The Frenchman’s round-one match is a battle between two former champions on Canadian soil as the 2024 Winnipeg titlist faces last year’s Laval champion Blaise Bicknell of Jamaica.
Read also: Monday Digest - Fernandez, Shapovalov Eye Title Defences Before National Bank Open
The doubles draw features five Canucks, including Canada’s doubles No. 1 Cleeve Harper. The Calgarian, along with George Goldhoff of the United States, are the top seeds and, if victorious in round one, could play the Arseneault brothers in the quarters.
In the same half, Chan and Benjamin Thomas George look to upset Jason Jung and Jody Maginley in their first-round match.
WTA 125
The Odlum Brown VanOpen is the biggest Canadian women’s pro event leading up to the National Bank Open and will be the last tune up for some Canucks before touching down in Toronto.
Two recent Canadian champions are in the bottom half of the singles draw in Vancouver. Road to the NBO wildcard winner Kayla Cross opens against seventh-seed Harriet Dart, who won Toronto’s Tevlin Challenger back in October. Then, Teah Chavez looks to build off her first World Tennis title in Saskatoon last week as she faces Nao Hibino of Japan in round one, with potential to meet second-seed Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand in the last 16.
Carol Zhao will also play in the second-to-last event of her career as she plans to retire following the National Bank Open. The Richmond Hillian kicks off her Vancouver campaign against No. 6 seed Emerson Jones of Australia.
Read also: 2026 National Bank Open Toronto Players - Meet the Canadian Women
The lone two Canadians in the top half clash in the first round as Ariana Arseneault battles Annabelle Xu. Either player can only meet top-seed Moyuka Uchijima in the semifinals if one makes a deep run in Vancouver.
Arseneault and Cross also team up in doubles, entering as the only seeded Canadians in the draw at No. 4.
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: Sarah-Jade Champagne
