Madison Keys will face one of her idols, in Venus Williams, in her first round match. This duel is more symbolic in nature than purely competitive. Williams is one of the most anticipated players of the 2023 edition of the National Bank Open. At 43, she has nothing left to prove, but she’s still here to go a long way. In front of her, a player who has found all her bearings this season. Madison Keys won the Eastbourne tournament at the end of June and is coming back aggressively. Ranked 16th in the world, Keys has proven what she is capable of in the past. And at 28, he still seems to have gas left in his tank.

The two players spoke with La Presse, each on their own, just a week ago. Now they will face each other in the first round of the Montreal tournament. This duel promises to be quite one. Not only for the quality of the show, but also because it could fit into a series of duels to come. The Ukrainian and the Chinese are among the most promising players in the WTA. At 21 and 20 respectively, they are already among the top 40 players in the world. They favor two completely different styles, but they share the same desire to win. The two players have never faced each other.

Two young players trying to come back. Injured until recently, Jennifer Brady returned to play a few days ago at the National Bank Championships in Granby. Even though it didn’t go as planned, the American managed to protect her 14th world ranking. It will have to perform well in Montreal to stay at this level. On the other side, Jelena Ostapenko returned to the radar last season. The powerful puncher won on grass in Birmingham recently and she’s on a mission to get back to the top. Currently 20th in the world, the 2017 Roland-Garros champion wants to show everyone that her return is not a flash in the pan. In any case, the momentum of one of them will be slowed down.

By far the most captivating duel of this first round. Just 18 months ago, Paula Badosa was still aspiring to break into the world top 10 and stay there for good. However, a series of injuries and poor results saw him drop to 33rd in the world. The Spaniard trained at the IGA stadium on Friday during the day and she seemed to be in full possession of her means. In good dispositions, she can annoy any player on the circuit.

On the other hand, Beatriz Haddad Maia never allows herself to be imposed. The left-hander, ranked 13th in the world, reached the semi-finals at Roland-Garros this summer and was a runner-up in Toronto last year. Badosa advocates a smoother, finer game, while Haddad Maia plays rougher, more disheveled. It promises.

This duel will be one of the tightest. Karolína Muchová, 17th in the world and finalist at the last Roland-Garros tournament, and Anastasia Potapova, 26th racket in the world and one of the most beautiful projects in women’s tennis, will cross swords. The main difference between the two is that Potapova won a title this season, in Linz, and it was hard. Otherwise, this match should be hotly contested, as these two players have careers with a similar style of play and at the end of this duel, it is certain that a strong header with the potential to win the tournament will no longer be in the main draw.