Top Canadian seed Auger-Aliassime withdraws from Montreal event with back injury

Félix Auger-Aliassime, the highest-seeded Canadian ever at the National Bank Open, announced his withdrawal on the day of his first match after a back injury occurred in a practice session at IGA Stadium in Montreal. Ranked fourth globally, he was set to face French qualifier Titouan Droguet in the second round, aiming to become the first Canadian man to capture the title since Robert Bedard in 1958. His exit left the men’s draw without any Canadian competitors, following earlier retirements by Denis Shapovalov and Gabriel Diallo.

Droguet will now play lucky-loser Jaime Faria of Portugal. In the parallel women’s event in Toronto, 21-year-old Kayla Cross was defeated by Ann Li after a notable first-round upset over Katie Boulter. Other notable results included Belinda Bencic’s win over Sloane Stephens and Taylor Townsend’s advancement past Marie Bouzkova.