Tennis Canada announced on Monday the names of the top seeds for the 2019 Rogers Cup presented by National Bank in Montreal and Toronto. The ATP world no. 2, Rafael Nadal, will be the top player in Montreal while WTA No.1 Ashleigh Barty will headline the draw in Toronto. The seedings follow the official ATP Tour and WTA rankings as of today (Monday, July 29) with the Top 16 ranked players entered in each tournament being seeded. The first eight seeds will receive a first round bye.
A four-time champion, Nadal is returning to Montreal as the defending champion, having won the title in Toronto last year. The Spaniard defeated a number of players prior to claiming his fourth title on Canadian soil, including young gun Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in the final. Currently ranked no. 4 in the ATP rankings, Dominic Thiem of Austria will be the tournament’s second seed as a function of the withdrawal of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer from the event. 2017 champion Alexander Zverev will also be returning to Montreal.
“We are looking forward to kicking off the 2019 edition of our tournament, as we also get ready to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Montreal event. During the past few years, we have seen some exceptional tennis and a number of memorable matches between tour veterans and the next generation of talent,” stated Eugène Lapierre, Tournament Director in Montreal. “This year, we also have the opportunity to see many of our Canadian players take part in their home tournament. We are ready for a great week of tennis.”
In Toronto, Barty will be competing in only her second tournament as the World No. 1. The Australian moved up to the top spot in the rankings after a breakthrough first half of the year, which saw her capture her first Grand Slam title at Roland-Garros, the trophy at the Miami Open and make a number of deep runs in other events. Last year, in Montreal, she reached the quarter-finals and was crowned doubles champion. The Top 3 will be rounded out by Naomi Osaka of Japan and Karolina Pliskova.
“This is one of the strongest player fields to take to the courts at the Aviva Centre in the history of the tournament. We are delighted to welcome the top players in the WTA, including the current No. 1 as well as some former top athletes,” said Karl Hale, Tournament Director in Toronto. “Established champions such as Serena Williams and Simona Halep will be joined by some of the sport’s young rising stars in what is sure to be a week of world class tennis.”
In Montreal, the best 13 of the Top 16 players are set to compete while 14 of the Top 16 WTA players will participate. The official draw ceremonies of both tournaments, used to determine the week’s match-ups, will be held on Friday, August 2.
Complete list of seeds:
ROGERS CUP PRESENTED BY NATIONAL BANK MONTREAL
| SEEDING | PLAYER | RANKING |
| 1 | Rafael Nadal (ESP) | 2 |
| 2 | Dominic Thiem (AUS) | 4 |
| 3 | Alexander Zverev (GER) | 5 |
| 4 | Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) | 6 |
| 5 | Kei Nishikori (JPN) | 7 |
| 6 | Karen Khachanov (RUS) | 8 |
| 7 | Fabio Fognini (ITA) | 9 |
| 8 | Daniil Medvedev (RUS) | 10 |
| 9 | Kevin Anderson (RSA) | 11 |
| 10 | Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) | 12 |
| 11 | Borna Coric (CRO) | 14 |
| 12 | John Isner (USA) | 15 |
| 13 | Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) | 16 |
| 14 | Marin Cilic (CRO) | 17 |
| 15 | David Goffin (BEL) | 18 |
| 16 | Gael Monfils (FRA) | 19 |
ROGERS CUP PRESENTED BY NATIONAL BANK TORONTO
| SEEDING | PLAYER | RANKING |
| 1 | Ashleigh Barty (AUS) | 1 |
| 2 | Naomi Osaka (JPN) | 2 |
| 3 | Karolina Pliskova (CZE) | 3 |
| 4 | Simona Halep (ROU) | 4 |
| 5 | Kiki Bertens (NED) | 5 |
| 6 | Petra Kvitova (CZE) | 6 |
| 7 | Elina Svitolina (UKR) | 7 |
| 8 | Sloane Stephens (USA) | 8 |
| 9 | Serena Williams (USA) | 9 |
| 10 | Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) | 10 |
| 11 | Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) | 11 |
| 12 | Belinda Bencic (SUI) | 12 |
| 13 | Angelique Kerber (GER) | 13 |
| 14 | Johanna Konta (GBR) | 14 |
| 15 | Madison Keys (USA) | 17 |
| 16 | Caroline Wozniacki | 18 |
Owned and operated by Tennis Canada, the prestigious Rogers Cup presented by National Bank attracts the biggest stars in tennis year after year. In 2019, the men’s event will take place at IGA Stadium in Montreal from August 2 to 11, while the women’s event will take place at the Aviva Centre in Toronto from August 3 to 11.
