Fung wins Toronto qualifying WC playoff

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It’s the annual top-secret tournament.

But Vancouver’s Stacey Fung has won the National Bank Open’s pre-qualifying tournament, with a win over unseeded Mia Kupres today in Toronto.

That earns her a spot in the main qualifying, which begins on Sunday.

Fung joins Carson Branstine, Katherine Sebov and … Genie Bouchard in the qualifying, which begins (exceptionally this year) on Sunday.

Bianca Andreescu, Rebecca Marino, Marina Stakusic and non-Canadian Naomi Osaka received main-draw wild cards.

Canadian post-Olympic carnage is real

Bouchard has travelled in Europe, hosted a pickleball clinic last week in Florida and done some “hostessing” duties at the Citi Open this week (in addition to getting a wild card in the doubles with Sloane Stephens and losing in the first round), in preparation for her first match at a WTA Tour event in nearly a year. No doubt she found some time to practice as well.

The pre-qualifying event in Toronto, which began on Tuesday, featured 14 players with Fung (No. 366), Scarlett Nicholson (No. 982), Dasha Plekhanova (No. 1016) and Bianca Fernandez (No. 1100) as the four seeds. The top two seeds had byes.

***Bouchard doing hostess duties at the Citi Open this week (Genie Bouchard/Twitter).***

There were some notable players missing who are ranked much higher than most of the players in the draw – even all of the seeded players except Fung: 17-year-old Victoria Mboko (who is considered the top prospect on the girls’ side, but has been training and playing in Europe), Carol Zhao, who likely would have gotten the qualifying wild card that went to Bouchard, Kayla Cross and Cadence Brace are a few of them.

Fernandez, the little sister of Leylah who began at UCLA in January., was upset in the first round by Ariana Arseneault.

Mia Kupres defeated Nicholson 6-2, 6-4 in the semis, while Fung defeated Nadia Lagaev. She then defeated Kupres in the final.

***Bouchard received a wild card with Sloane Stephens into the double in D.C.***

There are a fair few late withdrawals – as we’ve expected with the Olympics.

And that filters down to the qualifying. And even on “regular”, non-Olympic years, there are always a few spots available for locals. Players would rather play a smaller tournament if they can, rather than spend the money to travel and stay in Toronto with no guarantee they’ll get into the qualifying.

So some of those players might still get in.