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Canadian Open format under renewed scrutiny as withdrawals and gaps pile up
Canadian Open withdrawals and long gaps have renewed calls for a shorter, simpler schedule.
The long-running argument over expanded Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 events has sharpened again, and the latest Canadian Open schedule has only strengthened the case for change.
The obvious appeal of longer tournaments is financial, with more days bringing more prize money. But the current shape of the events in Montreal and Toronto has exposed the limits of the format. The men’s draw in Montreal has already been weakened by repeated withdrawals from leading names, including Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. Toronto’s women’s event has fared better in terms of participation, yet another issue remains impossible to ignore: the two tournaments are being staged at different venues.
That separation undermines the logic of a 12-day model. The format works far more convincingly when men’s and women’s draws are played together at the same site. As things stand, the order of play across the two events that will finish with Thursday finals has not offered enough variety or momentum to keep attention high.
If organisers have enough top players on site, they can create a more compelling product by mixing men’s and women’s matches. The problem in Canada has been the opposite. Too many major absences have left the events short of the kind of depth needed to sustain interest throughout the fortnight.
Montreal in particular has felt like a tournament that lost pace early. Toronto has been more watchable, but the two-day breaks between matches are hard to justify in best-of-three-set tennis. The idea that such gaps are necessary for player welfare has not convinced many observers.
Alexander Zverev captured the mood with direct comments in Montreal. “If you play everything and you’re a top player, you spend seven weeks here in North America. That is quite a long time,” he said.
“And I think that’s why a lot of top players, they choose not to play Canada for multiple years now. That’s unfortunately the sad reality of it.”
Asked how to fix the issue, he replied: “How it always was. Quite simple. Make us be here for two weeks, not seven.
“For the Masters, it’s two weeks for both of them, and I think that’s an easy fix, regarding top players playing.”
ATP Tour chiefs say they are satisfied with the 12-day structure, so a quick reversal appears unlikely. Even so, continued withdrawals will only intensify the pressure. The Canadian Open has become the clearest example of a schedule that no longer feels realistic.
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Alex Eala opens Singapore challenge against Prozorova as ranking gains loom
Eala begins in Singapore against Prozorova, with ranking gains and a clearer draw within reach.
Alex Eala will start her Singapore Open run against Tatiana Prozorova in the second round, with her first match since a tense three-set defeat to Iva Jovic in the third round of the US Open on 6 September.
On paper, the route to the WTA 500 final has become slightly less demanding. Eighth seed Donna Vekic fell in the opening round, while second seed Amanda Anisimova withdrew at the last moment because of a wrist injury. Eala had been projected to meet the American, who beat her in three sets in Cincinnati last month, in the semi-finals. If Eala goes all the way to the final, the only seed she can potentially face before that stage is seventh seed Maria Sakkari.
Interest in her return is growing, especially from supporters who will have the chance to follow her much closer to home. Tournament director Yazed Osman has welcomed that attention and was clear about Eala’s wider appeal.
She said, “The Eala story is not only unique to the Philippines, but also with the tennis fraternity globally. She played her first few games here in the WTA during the WTA Finals. We have the Future Stars program, and she won that tournament when she was 12 years old. And the family shared that they remembered the OCBC Arena, and the courts where she stayed and so on.
“And then last year she also featured in the Singapore Tennis Open 250, and now this 500. So her journey itself has been an inspiration to the tennis community, and I think the region is actually coming here and feeling very excited to see her perform at the highest level.”
According to the tournament website, Eala will face world No 180 Prozorova on Thursday, 24 September. She is scheduled as the fourth match on Centre Court, with the round-of-16 meeting set for no earlier than 6.30pm local time, 11.30am GMT/BST.
Eala will be on court after Joanna Garland meets Xin Wang and before Sakkari faces Nao Hibino.
A win would move her ahead of Naomi Osaka to 17th in the rankings, while lifting the title would take her to a career-high 14. With many rivals absent from WTA Tour action this week, the Singapore event offers Eala a clear chance to improve her position before the Asian Cup.
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Anisimova exits Singapore Open as WTA schedule pressure builds
Anisimova withdraws from Singapore Open and now faces WTA schedule and ranking pressure.
Amanda Anisimova has pulled out of the Singapore Open just before she was due to play her opening match. The American was scheduled to face Talia Gibson in the round of 16 at the WTA 500 event, but a left wrist injury has forced her to withdraw.
Her place in the draw has gone to lucky loser Viktoria Morvayova, who moves directly into the second round of the WTA Tour Asian tournament.
The immediate concern is the injury, but the withdrawal also leaves Anisimova facing possible consequences tied to her 2026 schedule. She has played a relatively light season so far, appearing in only 12 tournaments. Within that total, she has featured in just two WTA 500 events, one short of the mandatory three every female player is required to complete across the season.
She has played only the Brisbane International and Queen’s before Singapore this year, meaning the Singapore Open would have been her third tournament of that level. Now, with the event out of reach, she risks a fine if she does not add another WTA 500 appearance before the year ends.
There are only two tournaments left after Singapore, the Ningbo Open and the Pan Pacific Open, both set for October during the WTA Tour’s Asian swing. Anisimova has never played either event, so neither has been an obvious priority in her career. In 2026, though, one of them may become necessary.
If she skips both, she could face a point deduction or a monetary fine. That possibility sits alongside her hopes of reaching the WTA Finals, where she still has an outside chance of qualifying. She is currently 21st in the live Race for the WTA Finals standings, well outside the top eight spots that secure entry.
That leaves her with a decision that may shape the rest of her season. She could choose to play both WTA 500 tournaments in search of ranking points, while also trying to avoid any sanction. She will also be aiming to keep her WTA Finals hopes alive, especially with the event taking place on home soil at Indian Wells for the first time.
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Eala’s Asian Games decision puts WTA rule debate in focus
Eala’s Asian Games choice has triggered a possible WTA fine and strong criticism from former players.
Alex Eala’s choice to compete at the 2026 Asian Games has sparked debate because it conflicts with the penultimate Masters event on the WTA calendar. Her decision means she will miss the China Open while trying to deliver gold for the Philippines.
Under WTA rules, players are expected to contest every Masters event unless they are injured, so Eala could face a fine from the governing body. She requested an exemption, but that appeal was turned down, leaving open the possibility of a sanction for one of the tour’s most followed players.
That prospect has drawn strong criticism from Steve Johnson, John Isner, and Sam Querrey, who argued that punishing Eala would be a mistake. “1000% she should play [the Asian Games], said Johnson on Nothing Major. “If the WTA fine her, that is the dumbest thing that they could do. Do not fine her.
“I know that they have not made exceptions in the past for certain players, but there is different rules for everyone. I hate to say it, but there just is.”
Isner added: “I’m with you. They should waive the fine. Her ranking is going to dip by virtue of not playing.”
Querrey was equally direct.
“They also need stars and she is one of the biggest,” he explained. “They have a lot of leverage going into an individual sport. If she goes ‘if you guys fine me, I will skip more tournaments’.
“Let’s see how it goes [if she says] I will skip the other tournaments in Asia, where she is going to be the biggest star.”
The issue is complicated further by the fact that several leading Chinese players, including Wang Xinyu, have chosen the China Open over the Asian Games.
Still, Eala has become one of the WTA Tour’s biggest draws in 2026. She has filled stadiums at the Australian Open and during the Middle Eastern swing, where long queues formed outside venues for her matches. She also stood out on the North American hardcourt swing, capped by her first WTA Tour title at the Washington Open.
Against that backdrop, many will see a fine as a poor decision, especially if it risks alienating a player whose matches continue to attract large crowds and strong support.
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