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One wild card for the qualifying event, 16 gamers vying for it and 4 days of competitors.
From July 31 to August 3, 16 of Canada’s most promising up-and-comers battled at IGA Stadium in Montréal for his or her ticket to the qualifying event of the National Bank Open (NBO).
Removed from media cameras is the fact of the younger gamers who dream of breaking by means of and taking up the most effective.
And Tennis Canada (TC) believes that’s precisely the kind of reward that may function a motivator and at the same time as the additional incentive that finally ends up actually paying off for them.
WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD
Based on Sylvain Bruneau, TC’s Ladies’s Tennis Lead Advisor, that’s been the philosophy for years.
“It’s lots of people for only one wild card, however we expect it’s an amazing reward,” Sylvain stated. “We additionally suppose it’s good for the group dynamic as a result of it goes past the 4 days of pre-qualifying matches. We began with a coaching camp, after which they have been invited to tournaments in Saskatoon and Granby. And now this. So it’s a month-long program of occasions that offers them a framework for coaching and competitors. There’s no prize cash or rating factors, however there’s the prospect to play within the qualifying rounds of a serious WTA event.”
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Via the years, Bruneau has noticed that the winner of the pre-qualies strikes on to the subsequent step with confidence. “She’ll have already got 4 matches beneath her belt on the event itself. And that’s a plus since her eventual rival can have had a couple of days off when she arrives in Montréal,” he defined.
The occasion itself is run like knowledgeable competitors. “There are chair umpires, linespeople and ball children,” he stated. “The objective is to make the expertise as near actuality as doable as a result of the subsequent step for the younger winner is an opponent ranked round No. 100.”
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Sylvain makes a degree of attending each match over the 4 days. In any case, the subsequent Eugenie Bouchard, Bianca Andreescu or Leylah Fernandez might very effectively be among the many opponents.
The wild card is only a begin. “You don’t must suppose again very far: final 12 months, Marina Stakusic gained the mini-tournament and went on to win her first qualifying match. She defeated No. 68 Xinyu Wang of China earlier than shedding to No. 71 Tereza Martincova of Czechia. It was an unimaginable expertise for her.”
Marina will try and do it once more this 12 months since she earned a wild card for the qualifying event. And she or he didn’t even have to have interaction within the final showdown on August 3 in opposition to Mia Kupres.
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As destiny would have it, an additional spot within the qualifiers opened up, the ultimate was cancelled and each gamers acquired to maneuver on.
“These matches assist construct confidence by means of the event,” Mia stated. “In case you earn your spot there, even should you acquired a wildcard, you’re feeling that you just belong there since you fought your strategy to get there. And also you’re conversant in the situations. It positively provides some form of a bonus for us.”
FRIEND VS. FRIEND, SISTER VS. SISTER
Bruneau mentions a really specific side of the pre-qualifying occasion: the gamers are up in opposition to their teammates, a few of that are their shut associates.
And in a single specific case, that pal additionally occurs to be a sister.
Standing behind Sylvain Bruneau on this picture is 16-year-old Naomi Xu of Montréal. Her older sister 19-year-old Annabelle Xu, who spent the previous 12 months competing for the College of Virginia, was additionally in motion this week.
Because the luck of the draw would have it, the sisters (of their matching sneakers) went head-to-head of their first match.
Picture : Paul Rivard
On the end result of a number of thrilling rallies, Anabelle gained (6-2, 6-3) regardless of some ache in her proper shoulder.
Afterwards, the 2 did their post-match interview collectively. The primary query was about competing as sisters, in fact.
“I used to be disenchanted, clearly,” Anabelle stated. “What are the possibilities that, out of the 14 different gamers, I’d find yourself in opposition to my sister? We frequently practice collectively, and I got here right here to play matches and face different opponents.”
“My first response… I burst out laughing as a result of it was so ironic! I didn’t even suppose we’d be in the identical half of the draw. Like her, I got here right here to play in opposition to different women. It’s by no means enjoyable to compete in opposition to your sister, particularly your older sister!” Naomi stated with amusing.
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Given her age and expertise, Annabelle was the favorite moving into. Nonetheless, each gamers needed to be conscious of the hazards that lay forward. Annabelle couldn’t go in pondering it might be a cakewalk, and Naomi couldn’t go in pondering it was a shedding battle.
“From the get-go, I advised myself it might be a match in opposition to one other participant and never a coaching session with my sister,” Annabelle added.
Naomi felt a lot the identical manner. “I advised myself I needed to belief myself and overlook that it was my sister on the opposite facet. It wasn’t straightforward as a result of I often need Annabelle to win each match—in opposition to different gamers! However there, on the court docket, I needed to adapt. I simply tried to play my finest tennis.”
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Within the second set, Annabelle wanted a medical timeout. Throughout the break, Naomi stayed centered by studying her notes and staying up-to-date on the opposite matches that have been happening.
Was she frightened?
Picture : Paul Rivard
“For positive,” she stated. “First, I’d seen her bandage and knew she had an issue together with her shoulder. And I hoped she wouldn’t irritate her damage and our match wouldn’t simply come to an finish like that. Past that, I attempted to remain centered.”
FERNANDEZ, THE YOUNGER
Annabelle Xu had strong outcomes on the ITF W 100 Granby National Bank Championships the place she gained her opening match.
And so did Leylah Fernandez’s 19-year-old sister Bianca, who’s presently ranked no. 624.
Within the pre-qualifying event, Fernandez gained her first two matches however misplaced to Kupres within the third spherical (4-6, 7-6(1), 6-1).
Earlier, Kupres additionally overpowered Xu 7-6(4), 6-3.
VALÉRIE, TOO
NBO tournament director Valérie Tétreault, who occurred to cross by the courts, confirmed what Sylvain Bruneau stated in regards to the pre-qualifying event being TC’s long-standing custom.
“If I bear in mind appropriately, I performed within the pre-qualifiers twice,” she stated. “In 2004, after I was 16 and it was my first time on the event. I don’t bear in mind what number of matches I needed to win, however I managed to get that wild card for the qualifying rounds. Then, within the first spherical, I misplaced to an American participant named Lyndsay Lee-Waters.”
That qualifying match was Valérie’s very first time on Centre Court docket in Montréal. “I bear in mind feeling prefer it was a childhood dream of mine coming true on the event I’d been going to since I used to be eight years previous,” she added.
Later, in 2008, Valérie bumped into a well-recognized face.
“I used to be up in opposition to a really promising junior named Eugenie Bouchard within the closing spherical. At 14, Genie was a lot youthful than I used to be, and I ended up profitable. But it surely was a troublesome three-setter.”
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