No direct entry to Canadian Open for Raducanu, Stephens as former Grand Slam champs set to play qualifying event

Despite having a Grand Slam championship on their resume, former US Open champions Emma Raducanu and Sloane Stephens will have to play the qualifying event at the Canadian Open in order to compete at the distinguished tournament.

The Canadian Open is one of the biggest non-Grand Slam events on the WTA Tour, with past champions including Serena Williams, Petra Kvitova and Simona Halep. Hosted in Toronto, Canada, the WTA 1000 event is set to run from August 6-12, 2024.

Players who fall outside of the ranking for direct entry will have to either play through the qualifying event or be granted a wildcard entry in order to make the main draw. Stephens and Raducanu fall outside of the direct entry ranking eligibility, with the American ranked World No.45 and the Brit ranked at World No.94. With several top players set to compete in Toronto, it comes as no surprise that wildcard entries are highly sought after yet limited.

On Wednesday, Team Canada revealed the qualifying entry list for the Canadian Open. The list includes three Grand Slam champions with Sloane Stephens (2017 US Open), Sofia Kenin (2020 Australian Open) and Emma Raducanu (2021 US Open) all confirmed to take part. Two-time Grand Slam finalist and former World No.1 Karolina Pliskova is also set to feature as the top-ranked player on the qualifying list. Two rounds of qualifying will begin during 407 ETR Family Weekend at Sobeys Stadium from August 4-6, 2024.

Three qualifying wild cards, which will be allocated to Canadians, will be announced eventually by the Canadian Open. One additional qualifying wild card will be awarded to the winner of the pre-qualifying draw taking place from July 30-August 2, 2024.

Due to the Paris 2024 Olympics schedule, the Canadian Open will start and end one day later than usual this year. The first day of qualifying begins on August 4 and the final will take place on August 12.