This week, the summer of tennis in Canada concludes with one of the most prestigious tournaments on the calendar. The stars of the ATP Challenger Tour have descended on the Odlum Brown VanOpen, as the city of Vancouver welcomes players and fans for the 14th edition.

While the world’s best compete in ATP Masters 1000 action in Cincinnati, there is no shortage of star power on the Challenger stage in Western Canada. A total of 14 players are inside the Top 150 of the ATP Rankings, led by Ricardas Berankis, Steve Johnson and Canadian Brayden Schnur. Hyeon Chung, Ernests Gulbis and Thanasi Kokkinakis also headline the loaded draw.

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The tournament is one of the crown jewels of the Challenger circuit, with Hollyburn Country Club featuring packed stands every day and world-class amenities for the players. In 2018, the Odlum Brown VanOpen was honoured as ‘Tournament of the Year’ on the ATP Challenger Tour for a second straight season.

On Tuesday night, the celebration kicks into high gear with opening ceremonies and the award presentation. But first, players stepped away from the courts for an off-site visit to one of Vancouver’s main attractions. On Monday, Canadians Brayden Schnur and Filip Peliwo experienced the Capilano Suspension Bridge, which towers over the Capilano River and is just minutes from Hollyburn. One of the iconic sites of the city, the bridge is 140 metres (460 feet) long and draws over 1.2 million visitors per year.

“It was awesome,” said Schnur. “You don’t get to go off site very often at tournaments, so it was great to take time away from the court and experience the city of Vancouver.”

Don’t look down!

?? @BraydenSchnur & @filippeliwo stepped away from the courts for a trip to the famous Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vancouver.@vanopentennis pic.twitter.com/gR6s55qNyH

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) August 13, 2019

Founded in 1889, the bridge is part of a park that includes gardens, nature trails and North America’s largest collection of First Nations totem poles. It is Vancouver’s oldest paid visitor attraction.

“For me, it’s a little different because I’m from here,” said Peliwo. “I’ve been to suspension bridges before, but to come back after many years is cool. And to revisit old memories. I’m not back in Vancouver very often, so it’s good to be home.”

Photos: Joe Ng Photography | Bo Mon Kwan

Schnur, seeded third, is coming off a significant milestone in his fledgling career. The newest member of the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings, he broke through on 15 July and is up to a career-high No. 95. At the age of 24, the former University of North Carolina standout is making his mark on the professional scene. In February, he reached his first ATP Tour final at the New York Open.

Peliwo, meanwhile, is just three months removed from his second Challenger final appearance. The 25-year-old advanced to the championship match in Jerusalem and is on the rise once again, pushing towards a Top 200 return. In 2017, he claimed his lone Challenger title as a qualifier in Knoxville.

Schnur and Peliwo are two of seven Canadians in the main draw at Hollyburn, also including stalwarts Peter Polansky and Vasek Pospisil. The VanOpen caps another action-packed summer of tennis in Canada, which spanned five weeks and included Challengers in Winnipeg, Gatineau and Granby, as well as the Rogers Cup, an ATP Masters 1000 event in Montreal.

World No. 1 and defending champion Novak Djokovic, six-time former titlist Roger Federer, last week’s Coupe Rogers finalist Daniil Medvedev, John Isner and 2017 winner Grigor Dimitrov open their campaigns at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Tuesday, which features 11 men’s singles and five doubles matches.

Twelve months ago, Djokovic captured his first Cincinnati crown to become the first player to capture the Career Golden Masters of all nine ATP Masters 1000 trophies and he has since added the Shanghai Rolex Masters (d. Coric) and the 2019 Mutua Madrid Open (d. Tsitsipas) titles. The 33-time Masters 1000 champion shows no sign of letting up, having compiled a 35-6 record in 2019, and, almost one month on from capturing his fifth Wimbledon title, Djokovic returns to ATP Tour action fourth on Centre Court today to face Sam Querrey, who beat Pierre-Hugues Herbert 7-6(2), 7-6(1) in the first round on Monday.

Three years ago, Querrey ended Djokovic’s hopes of a calendar-year Grand Slam at 2016 Wimbledon with a 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(5) third-round win, which marked his second victory over the Serbian (also 2012 ATP Masters 1000 Paris) in their 10-match FedEx ATP Head2Head series. Like Djokovic, Querrey is also contesting his first tournament since last month’s grass-court major, where he reached the quarter-finals (l. to Nadal). In his 26 matches this season (17-9 record), the American has struck 422 aces and won 88 per cent of his service games.

The Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati wasn’t always a happy hunting ground for Federer, who got off to a 1-4 start, but since 2005 the Swiss superstar has put together a 45-5 record, including a tournament-record seven titles. Today, Federer opens the night session from 7:00 p.m. local time against wild card Juan Ignacio Londero, who will face a Top 10 opponent for the third time. Londero, who overcame Matteo Berrettini 7-6(3), 6-3 on Monday for his first Masters 1000 match win, comes up against a player who is 378-106 overall in the tournament series. Federer lost to Djokovic in last year’s Cincinnati final, but has since captured his fourth Miami Open presented by Itau crown (d. Isner) in March that represented his 28th Masters 1000 trophy.

For the second consecutive week, two former World No. 3s Dimitrov and Stan Wawrinka meet in the first round of a Masters 1000 tournament. At last week’s Coupe Rogers in Montreal, Wawrinka got the better of Dimitrov 6-4, 6-4 and now leads 3-1 on hard-court in their 10-match FedEx ATP Head2Head series (Wawrinka 6-4 overall). They open Center Court play from 11 a.m. local time.

Two Americans, 2013 finalist Isner and Frances Tiafoe, feature on Grandstand, the second show court. Isner, who is contesting his first Masters 1000 event since reaching the Miami final in March, takes on former World No. 10 Pablo Carreno Busta, a qualifier, for the first time, while Tiafoe meets three-time Masters 1000 finalist and World No. 15 Gael Monfils, who is competing in Cincinnati for the first time since 2016.

Elsewhere, World No. 8 Medvedev, who has won eight of his past 10 matches — including final runs at the Citi Open in Washington D.C. (l. to Kyrgios) and last week in Montreal (l. to Nadal) — starts his title bid against Kyle Edmund. The Russian No. 1 is 38-16 on the season and already has his sights on qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 10-17 November.

SCHEDULE – SATURDAY, 13 AUGUST 2019

CENTER COURT start 11:00 am
ATP – G. Dimitrov (BUL) vs S. Wawrinka (SUI) 

Not Before 1:00 pm
WTA Match 
ATP – [WC] R. Opelka (USA) vs [12] B. Coric (CRO) 46 63 34 – To Finish
ATP – [1] N. Djokovic (SRB) vs [WC] S. Querrey (USA) 

Not Before 7:00 pm
ATP – [3] R. Federer (SUI) vs M. Berrettini (ITA) or [WC] J. Londero (ARG) 

Not Before 8:30 pm
WTA Match

GRANDSTAND start 11:00 am
WTA Match 
ATP – G. Monfils (FRA) vs F. Tiafoe (USA) 
WTA Match 

Not Before 7:00 pm
WTA Match

Not Before 8:30 pm
ATP – [Q] P. Carreno Busta (ESP) vs [13] J. Isner (USA) 

STADIUM 3 start 11:00 am
ATP – [16] D. Goffin (BEL) vs T. Fritz (USA) 
ATP – [LL] J. Sousa (POR) vs D. Shapovalov (CAN) 
ATP – [9] D. Medvedev (RUS) vs K. Edmund (GBR) 
WTA Match 

Not Before 7:30 pm
WTA Match
 
COURT 4 start 11:00 am
WTA Match 
ATP – [PR] F. Lopez (ESP) / A. Murray (GBR) vs [4] J. Rojer (NED) / H. Tecau (ROU) 
WTA Match 
ATP – H. Hurkacz (POL) vs [11] R. Bautista Agut (ESP) 
ATP – J. Struff (GER) / D. Thiem (AUT) vs D. Schwartzman (ARG) / H. Zeballos (ARG) 

COURT 8 start 11:00 am
ATP – F. Verdasco (ESP) vs B. Paire (FRA) 
ATP – L. Djere (SRB) vs D. Schwartzman (ARG) 
ATP – [1] J. Cabal (COL) / R. Farah (COL) vs N. Kyrgios (AUS) / S. Tsitsipas (GRE) 
ATP – C. Garin (CHI) / B. Paire (FRA) vs R. Albot (MDA) / K. Khachanov (RUS) 

COURT 11 start 11:00 am
ATP – [Q] A. Rublev (RUS) vs [15] N. Basilashvili (GEO) 
WTA Match 
WTA Match
ATP – After Suitable Rest – A. Krajicek (USA) / E. Roger-Vasselin (FRA) vs G. Pella (ARG) / J. Sousa (POR) 
WTA Match

Nick Kyrgios consistently participates in kids’ clinics as he travels the world on the ATP Tour. At the Citi Open, the ATP 500 tournament he won two weeks ago, the Aussie spent a lot of time playing ping pong with any and all challengers.

And after defeating Italian Lorenzo Sonego on Monday at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Kyrgios handed a young girl behind his bench a signed ball, her mouth left agape with happiness. Kyrgios saw the moment on Twitter shortly thereafter and commented, “This makes me happy”.

“I have always been pretty nice to, I feel, generally to people and to kids. I have been doing kids clinics for Tennis Australia when I was young. I was just brought up like that, to be honest. I don’t care if you’re a CEO of a company or a janitor,” Kyrgios said. “I’m going to speak to you the same way. I love doing [clinics]. I think that’s what it’s about. It’s about giving kids belief that they can be in this position one day.”

This makes me happy ❤️❤️❤️❤️??????????????????????? https://t.co/xWFVLMhKAk

— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) August 13, 2019

Kyrgios certainly put on a show for the kids and everyone in attendance at this ATP Masters 1000 tournament, even taking a bow after a stab backhand volley in the second set against Sonego. The Italian got in on the fun as well during his last service game, winning an epic point that featured a Kyrgios tweener before trying to rally the crowd to his side.

“I think they are just super excited to play me, honestly. I think they definitely want to beat me,” Kyrgios said. “He was having a lot of fun out there. That point was awesome. And to see him having a lot of fun, I don’t think that’s a normal occasion for him in his matches.”

Although Kyrgios did not face a break point, it was not an easy match. Up until 5-5 in the opener, Sonego was unblemished on serve, too. But a quick drop in level was all it took to give the Aussie the break in the first set. The same held true in the second set. Otherwise, Sonego was going after his shots and holding his own.

“I feel like when guys play me they go out there and try and play their best level,” Kyrgios said. “They try and keep things on their racquet and redline.”

Bringing the best out of your opponents because of the atmosphere of a match might not always be the best idea. But it’s something that Kyrgios enjoys.

“Honestly I wish they’d just roll over and it was a 6-1, 6-1 job,” Kyrgios said, smiling. “No, it’s a lot of fun. Obviously just from that match I can see his strengths, his first serve and his forehand, looks to run around and dictate… I think the strengths of all my opponents come out when they play me. That’s pretty cool.”

In the next round, Kyrgios will face one of the biggest hitters on the ATP Tour in Karen Khachanov, who made the semi-finals last week at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal.

“I’m going to try to keep things on my own terms, but again, I’m not going to think about it,” Kyrgios said. “I have some doubles tomorrow with the birthday boy. See how it goes.”

Kyrgios is partnering reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas on the doubles court for the second time. And just like they did at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., the Australian-Greek tandem will face top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in the first round. Monday is Tsitsipas’ birthday, too.

“I actually didn’t get him a present. I didn’t know until I saw it on Twitter this morning, but I don’t know. I might get him something small tomorrow,” Kyrgios said, before cracking a smile. “Maybe a shoelace or something.” Read More: Stefanos Seeks A Better Paire

When Bob Bryan underwent right hip surgery last August, his hope was to make it back to the ATP Tour for one more match. Forty-nine matches later this season, he and Mike Bryan reached 1,100 tour-level doubles wins as a team by defeating Jeremy Chardy and Fabrice Martin on Monday at the Western & Southern Open.

“It’s a staggering number when you look at it. We thought we’d be stuck on whatever number we were at last year. I was just trying to get back out there to play one more match,” said Bob. “The bar has been set a little bit lower, but as we’re winning and getting more confidence, our goals are getting loftier.”

A low bar for the Bryans still yields a season that most players would dream of. They picked up their 39th ATP Masters 1000 title in Miami (d. Koolhof/Tsitsipas) and prevailed in Delray Beach (d. Skupski/Skupski), in addition to finishing runner-up in Atlanta (l. to Inglot/Krajicek). They’re in second place in the ATP Doubles Team Rankings and are strong contenders to make their 16th team appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals, held at The O2 in London from 10-17 November.

Bob reached 1,100 tour-level doubles wins last week with their second-round victory at the Coupe Rogers, joining Mike as the only players to accomplish the feat. Having already shattered every doubles record in the book, they are now running their own race.

“Sometimes when you can see those records and you’re just a couple of steps away, you push a little harder when you see the finish line,” said Bob. “That was a fun time in our careers. We had a blast setting those goals, knocking them down and celebrating those milestones. We’d love to win another Grand Slam trophy, but we’re just trying to enjoy this last chapter and have fun.”

The Bryan brothers are making their 21st main draw appearance as a team in Cincinnati and have plenty to show for it, winning five times and finishing runner-up on three other occasions. But out of the dozens of matches they’ve played over the years at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, a first-round clash from from 2002 is one of the matches that stands out most.

“We played a night match against Luke Jensen and Murphy Jensen and it was a battle with our idols. They were chest bumping, we were chest bumping,” said Mike. “The crowds have always been really good to us here. We have the ‘Bryan Bunch’ and they’ve never missed a match. They wear the green shirts, they’re in full effect, they’ve been supporting us for 25 years.”

“Winning our first title here in 2003 was a really special moment,” added Bob. “When you win this tournament, you don’t have to pay your ATP membership dues anymore! It’s one of those weird, quirky rules in the system, so our dues have been covered since then.”

Although the Bryans acknowledge that they’re closer to the end of their careers than the beginning, they still have plenty of great tennis left in them. As long as they’re still capable of being the last team standing at the world’s biggest events, they see no reason to slow down.

“If we enter a tournament and feel like we have no chance to win it, then we’ll put our racquets down. But we still feel like we’re in the mix,” said Mike. “The doubles game is so deep and it seems like there are new winners every week. We’ve lost a few tight ones this year where we felt like we could have gone on to hold some big trophies up, so we’re feeling positive about things and really appreciating playing together.”

Guido Pella’s career-best year on the ATP Tour got even better on Monday at the Western & Southern Open. The Argentine defeated #NextGenATP Norwegian Casper Ruud 7-5, 7-6(4) for his 100th tour-level win.

“I knew that I was pretty close to 100 wins, but I didn’t count, so this is a big surprise for me,” said Pella. “To win more than 30 matches this year is something I didn’t expect, so I’m very happy.”

Pella’s victory marked his 32nd of the season. The 29-year-old started the year at No. 58 in the ATP Rankings, but currently sits at No. 22 on the back of results that include his first ATP Tour title in Sao Paulo (d. Garin) and first Grand Slam quarter-final at Wimbledon.

His third-round Wimbledon win over Kevin Anderson was the fourth Top 10 victory of his career and second at SW19, having taken out Marin Cilic the previous year. In a career filled with highlights, his high-profile victories over the world’s best players are what stand out most to him.

“Beating Janko Tipsarevic was my first big moment because that was my first Top 10 win, but beating Anderson and Cilic was also very special,” said Pella. “I love to play in full stadiums against great players. But I know when I play someone like Anderson or Cilic, the fans are there to watch them and not me, and I can feel that.

“When I started to play good and win a set or two, they started to cheer for me and that was an unbelievable feeling. I play a lot of matches on the outside courts, so being in a stadium is a totally different atmosphere.”

It’s an atmosphere which Pella has become far more familiar with. The Argentine has reached at least the quarter-finals in eight ATP Tour events this year and picked up 57 of his 100 tour-level wins in the past two seasons.

With minimal ATP Rankings points to defend for the rest of 2019, Pella has put himself in a strong position to crack the Top 20 and continue to climb.

“I think my mind has been in the right place for the past two seasons. That’s why I’ve won so many matches,” said Pella. “I like to be in this position, so I want to keep improving my game and my mind.”

Nineteen-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime, the youngest player in the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings, has gotten a lot of the attention in recent months as he has ascended into the world’s Top 30. But the second-youngest player in the Top 100 got the better of him at the Western & Southern Open on Monday.

Fellow #NextGenATP star Miomir Kecmanovic ousted the Canadian 6-3, 6-3 to reach the second round in Cincinnati. One year ago this week, the Serbian qualifier was World No. 200. Now, the teenager is on the verge of cracking the Top 50 for the first time.

“It definitely means a lot. It’s a big win for me. I needed this mentally just to know that I can be here and play with these guys, so I think it’s going to help for the upcoming matches,” Kecmanovic said. “I felt pretty good on the court and played solid, so hopefully I can keep it up.”

The World No. 58 rode service dominance to victory, as the Turkish Airlines Open Antalya finalist did not face a break point in his one-hour, four-minute triumph. The two-time ATP Challenger Tour titlist lost only three first-serve points (26/29), and he broke on three of his four opportunities.

Entering the season, Kecmanovic had never won a main draw match at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament, but this was his fifth victory at this level in 2019. All 17 of his tour-level wins have come this season.

Kecmanovic will next challenge reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev. The Serbian, who made the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open in March at Indian Wells, is pursuing his first win against a Top 10 opponent.

The first American man in action in Cincinnati fell short, as Frenchman Lucas Pouille beat qualifier Denis Kudla 6-3, 7-6(6) in one hour and 39 minutes. Pouille withstood 10 aces and broke serve four times to set second-round clash with No. 10 seed Fabio Fognini or #NextGenATP Canadian Denis Shapovalov.

Did You Know?
This was the first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting between Kecmanovic and Auger-Aliassime. However, they played at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Lyon, France last year, with Felix winning in straight sets. At the time, both #NextGenATP stars were ranked outside the Top 150.