Organizers shelve idea of split draws for Montreal, Toronto

Montreal and Toronto will continue to alternate separate men’s and women’s events instead of splitting a combined event between the two cities, reports The Globe and Mail.

 

Schedule changes made by the tours mean that starting from next year, the two Canadian events will be held simultaneously instead of back-to-back weeks. To make up for the lost week of television exposure and the increased resources needed to host both events at the same time, tournament organizers had proposed splitting the draws and having half the event in Montreal and half in Toronto, with one of the finalists flying over to the other city for the final.

 

The unusual format was expected to attract attention for the event, as well as boost attendance at both sites by allowing each to have a combined men’s and women’s presence.

 

Tournament director Eugene Lapierre told the newspaper website that the players had not been in favor of the idea. “They think it’s like some kind of gimmick,” he said. “We wouldn’t want to risk a situation where a player decides to skip our tournament just because he or she doesn’t like the idea of changing cities.”—K.T.