The path for a homegrown tennis player to win the men’s Canadian Open title for the first time in the Open Era is set.
Felix Auger-Aliassime, Denis Shapovalov and Gabriel Diallo were each placed in separate quadrants as the National Bank Open draw took place at Sobeys Stadium on Friday in Toronto.
All three receive byes to the second round as part of the revamped tournament format, which will feature 96 players and take place over 12 days for the first time.
The 2025 tournament marks the first time in history that three Canadian men will be seeded. Montreal’s Auger-Aliassime holds the highest seed at No. 21, with Shapovalov of Richmond Hill, Ont., 22nd and Montreal’s Diallo 27th.
Germany’s Alexander Zverev is the top seed in the tournament, which begins Sunday and runs through Aug. 7.
Canada’s Vasek Pospisil, the Vernon, B.C., native who announced he would retire after the tournament, will face a qualifier in his first-round match and potentially meet eighth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway in the second round.
WATCH | Canadian Vasek Pospisil announces retirement from tennis:
Vasek Pospisil, a Canadian tennis star from Vernon, B.C., has announced he will retire after 18 years following the 2025 National Bank Open in Toronto. Pospisil represented Canada twice at the Olympic Games in 2012 and 2016.
A raft of withdrawals affected the bracket in the leadup to the tournament, with the likes of World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 6 Novak Djokovic dropping out.
No Canadian man has ever won the National Bank Open singles title since the Open Era began in 1968. Robert Bedard, who won his third title in 1958, is the last to accomplish the feat.
Bianca Andreescu’s 2019 championship marked the first for a Canadian woman since Faye Urban in 1969.
Gabriela Dabrowski remains the last Canadian to win on home soil, having emerged victorious in women’s doubles alongside Brazilian partner Luisa Stefani in women’s doubles in 2021.
