Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard draws Safarova in first round of Rogers Cup

MONTREAL — Agnieszka Radwanska wants to make it two in a row at Uniprix Stadium.

The fourth seed from Poland was back on Friday looking to repeat her winning performance from the last time the women’s Rogers Cup was held in Montreal in 2014.

“It’s not easy,” Radwanska said at the draw for the US$2.7 million hardcourt event. “The tournament is strong, as always.

“I’ll have to play my best to repeat.”

The top eight seeds have a bye to the second round, where Radwanska will take on either Monica Niculescu of Romania or a player she has never faced — Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia.

SOUND OFF

SOUND OFF: Saving people time at ICBC

21h ago

Question of the Week

Has the violence in Mexico changed your opinion about travelling there for a vacation?

Feb 23, 2026

Looped In

LOOPED IN WITH NIKKI OMEN: February 23, 2026

Feb 23, 2026

Canada has three players in the main draw so far, with another 11 that will try to get in through the qualifying tournament Saturday and Sunday.

Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que. is set to face veteran Lucie Safarova in the first round, a match that is to be played Tuesday afternoon. The Czech left-hander won their only previous meeting on carpet in Quebec City in 2013. If Bouchard survives that, she could face 11th seeded Dominika Cibulkova in the second round.

Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., who has slipped to 472nd in the world after a succession of injuries, has a tough task in 25th-ranked Italian Sara Errani. Wozniak has won both times they met, but both were in 2009. The winner will likely meet 14th-seeded Karolina Pliskova in the second round.

Promising teenager Francoise Abanda of Montreal takes on Elina Svitolina of Ukraine.

The tournament lost its 2010 champion when Caroline Wozniacki withdrew Friday. The Dane had retired from a match this week in Washington, D.C., with a left arm injury. Victoria Azaerenko had announced earlier she was taking a break from the sport because she is pregnant.

There was also concern for Australian Open champion, Wimbledon finalist and Rogers Cup second seed Angelique Kerber, who withdrew from a second round match this week in Bastad, Sweden with an elbow injury. Kerber said she hoped it would heal in time to play in Montreal.

Bill Beacon, The Canadian Press