National Bank Open draws set as Montreal’s Auger-Aliassime looks to win

Félix Auger-Aliassime now knows his path to potential glory.

The National Bank Open presented by Rogers men’s draw was completed Friday ahead of the Canadian tennis championship getting underway this weekend. The tournament will take place at the IGA stadium in Montreal from Aug. 1 to 13.

Ranked a career-high fourth on the ATP Tour and set to take centre stage in his hometown as the No. 2 seed, Montreal-born Auger-Aliassime will kick things off in the second round against either Luca Van Assche or a qualifier.

And if Auger-Aliassime advances through the bracket, the 25-year-old could eventually meet French Open finalist and No. 6 seed Flavio Cobolli of Italy in the quarterfinals. He has never won an ATP Masters 1000 title, while a Canadian hasn’t captured the event’s singles competition in the Open era.

“There’s no doubt that he’s going to feel some tension,” said Valérie Tétreault, the tournament’s director. “He’s going to be a little bit nervous when he first walks on centre court and he hears the crowd. But I’m really hoping that he can find a way basically to use the energy that the crowd will be giving him. And I think he’s looking forward to that.”

CityNews spoke to fans from far and wide who would like to see the local star keep the trophy at home.

“To see Felix get the W (win),” said Karim Abdul-Azziz. “We want him to bring the gold for Montreal, the trophy. Hopefully he’s going to overcome adversity and win and he’s going to make us proud.”

“I’ve always been a fan of Felix,” New Yorker Parker Lee. “He’s a great player, he’s fun to watch. I always pull for him, honestly.”

World No. 2 Alexander Zverev of Germany is the top-seeded player at the National Bank Open, but three of the top five tennis players including Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and top-ranked Jannik Sinner will be absent from this tournament meaning it’s an opportunity for other players to break through.

Zverev could face No. 7 Taylor Fritz of the U.S. in the quarters, while fellow American Ben Shelton, who hoisted the trophy at last year’s event in Toronto, and 2021 winner Daniil Medvedev are also on course for a clash at the same stage.

“Top three are not here, you try to play the best every match in and out,” Medvedev told reporters at the draw Friday. “Of course, if you talk about quarters and semis, maybe you have a bit more opportunities when they’re not here. But to get to quarters and semis, you need to beat a lot of top players, tough opponents. And I know that when I play my best tennis, I can bring trouble to everyone. So that’s what I’m going to try to do here.”

The tournament that alternates between men’s and women’s tennis each year is a popular destination for certain players such as Gaël Monfils and Medvedev.

“Everybody speaks French, definitely knows a little bit more your personality, understand a little bit more where you’re from,” Monfils said. “And definitely it’s something amazing.”

“I think what makes it special is that I made my first Masters 1000 final here in Montreal,” Medvedev said. “That was a great moment.”

Fans in Montreal will be cheering on Auger-Aliassime hoping he can repeat Victoria Mboko’s win last year, but they will also be supporting other Canadian players such as Denis Shapovalov and Gabriel Diallo. 

Denis Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., who’s ranked No. 68 in the world, opens against Zachary Svajda of the United States.

Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo — ranked No. 99 — will face a qualifier in the first round. Canadian wild-card entry Liam Draxl of Newmarket, Ont., opens against Spain’s Daniel Merida, while Alexis Galarneau of Laval, Que., meets Czechia’s Vit Kopriva.

The NBO is set to hold a qualifying round Saturday.