Last week felt so busy but not, mainly because I was on vacation. The main reason I went to Montreal was to go to the Canada Open. It was my first time going to the tournament in that city (as I've been to the Toronto 3 times, including this year). I'll share some thoughts on my experiences in both cities since I went to the men's event on Wednesday and then the Toronto one on Friday. Going to write these thoughts in bullets because I'm lazy to write more than a full paragraph rn:
arrived the day before to get settled but ngl I wish I came earlier which will make sense in the next point
On Tuesday night I watched Diallo's match and had a sinking feeling about the Canadian men since Shapovalov retired earlier and Chan and Draxl were eliminated
Not long after the beginning of set 2, Diallo retired
I also was checking the Canada Open website daily to see if there were any updates in general
They originally posted on the website that FAA was playing on Tuesday night but mid-Tuesday, the schedule was changed and he was going to play on Wednesday
I thought it was a bit odd but didn't think much of it
On my way to the stadium Wed. night, I saw news of his retirement
So at this point, things felt a little grim but I still had a good time
The matches I got to see were Fearnley v. Mensik, Medvedev v. Van de Zandschulp
I arrived the day before to get settled but ngl I wish I came earlier which will make sense in the next point
On Tuesday night I watched Diallo's match and had a sinking feeling about the Canadian men since Shapovalov retired earlier and Chan and Draxl were eliminated
Not long after the beginning of set 2, Diallo retired
I also was checking the Canada Open website daily to see if there were any updates in general
They originally posted on the website that FAA was playing on Tuesday night but mid-Tuesday, the schedule was changed and he was going to play on Wednesday
I thought it was a bit odd but didn't think much of it
On my way to the stadium Wed. night, I saw news of his retirement
So at this point, things felt a little grim and was disappointed I would get to see FAA play but I still had a good time
The matches I got to see were Fearnley v. Mensik, Medvedev v. Van de Zandschulp (originally supposed to the FAA v. Droguet on Centre Court), and Tien v. Monfils
I felt like I was in enemy territory cheering for Botic because I wanted a little chaos loll
I also felt that at the Tien/Monfils match as I was one of 3 people in the section cheering for Learner but he won soooo lollll
Overall it was an alright experience but dear god, the seats on CC are so uncomfortable. Plus the wayfinding and lack of signage in Parc Jarry was not it
I left Thursday night and came back to Toronto in time for the day session.
The matches I got to see in Toronto were Rybakina v. Li (I really thought she'd push it to three but it felt like she gave up after the first 2 set points), Fernandez v. Andreeva, Joint v. Samsonova, Osaka v. Mertens, Townsend v. Bencic, and Gauff v. Sakkari (on the tvs on the grounds)
The second match on CC was obviously the match I looked forward to the most as I would get to cheer on a Canadian and one of my faves
I was worried a bit for Leylah ngl, but she was onnn that day
It was a fantastic atmosphere and everyone was in good spirits, especially as she approached match point
It was humid AF during the day and I was not a fan but had to remind myself that at least it wasn't raining lol
Got cooler in the evening and was windy too
I really liked the outside courts not only because you get to see players practice, you also are really close if you're watching a match
There was a good amount of seating around the grounds and a decent selection of food, but obviously pricey AF and is the main reason I brought my own food.
I do have to say, compared to MTL, I prefer Toronto a bit more because there was more signage, the seating was better, and lots of water refill stations. If I ever go to Montreal again, it's because the WTA is playing there. So yeah, that was my experience. If anyone does see this, I'm willing to answer any questions you have about the tournament.
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