Rogers Cup – August 3-12, 2018, Uniprix Stadium LiveEvents July 28, 2018 2458 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank is a prestigious professional tennis tournament organized by Tennis Canada. Since 1881 for the men and 1892 for the women, the best players in the world have showcased their skills on Canadian courts. Only Wimbledon and the US Open have longer histories than this major Canadian stop, which is acknowledged by the tennis world to be one of the best-run tournaments on the Tour. Classified as a Premier 5 event on the WTA calendar, Rogers Cup presented by National Bank offers over US $3 million in prize money and attracts the biggest stars in tennis year after year. Montreal and Toronto share the task of hosting the best men’s and women’s players in the world, with both tournaments played at the same time, during the same week. So, from August 3-12, 2018, the women will be in Montreal while the men will play in Toronto. The impressive list of past champions for this Canadian stop on the professional tennis circuit includes such legendary names as Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Monica Seles, and Steffi Graf. Canadian Eugenie Bouchard has received a wild card for the 2018 Rogers Cup. In 2016, in Montreal, Bouchard reached the third round after notably eliminating Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic and Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia. “Eugenie is currently showing great things and we hope that she can keep her momentum going in Montreal,” said Eugène Lapierre, Tournament Director of the Rogers Cup presented by National Bank. “She gave fans a great show back in April when she got two important wins at the most recent Fed Cup tie. She also thrilled the crowds at the 2016 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank. We can not wait to see her in action at home once again. It will be a great way to kick-off the tournament to see her play on Centre Court on the first day of the main draw.” Bouchard is scheduled to play her first round match at Rogers Cup during the day session on Monday, August 6, unless she has to face a player who reaches the final in either San Jose or Washington on August 5. She will find out the identity of her opponent during the official draw, which will take place on Friday, August 3. Serena Williams is the recipient of a wild card for the 2018 edition of Rogers Cup. This will be her first time playing in Montreal since 2014, when she made the semi-finals. Williams, who came very close to capturing her 24th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, made a return to tennis at Indian Wells this past March after giving birth to her daughter on September 1, 2017. Following her loss on July, 14th, Williams stated that “this is only the beginning.” Her performance allowed her to make a large jump up the WTA rankings, going from no. 181 to no. 28 in the world. This will be Williams’ third time in Montreal. In her first appearance, in 2000, she lost in the final to Martina Hingis of Switzerland. The American has won three Rogers Cup presented by National Bank titles to date, having been crowned champion in Toronto in 2001, 2011 and 2013. “We are, of course, very pleased to be able to announce the participation of Serena Williams as we have awarded her a wild card,” said Eugène Lapierre, Tournament Director of Rogers Cup presented by National Bank. “After announcing our player list a few weeks ago, we were only missing Serena to complete our dream tournament. Serena has impressed everyone with the speed at which she was able to return to a high level of play. She has always been a fighter and she is proving it once again. I know that the fans will be happy to see her in action in Montreal. We are looking forward to welcoming her back.” The WTA wild card that she has received is reserved for players who have previously been ranked No. 1 in the world, who were ranked in the Top 20 in 2017 or who have won a Grand Slam title, a WTA Finals title or a Premier Mandatory tournament during their career. The same type of wild card was also awarded to Victoria Azarenka earlier this summer. For more information and tickets: www.couperogers.com Uniprix Stadium 285 Gary-Carter Street Montreal, Quebec