Andreescu, Halep set to return to play in Montreal

NO. 1 WON’T BE THERE

Top-10 players Bianca Andreescu and Simona Halep, both coming off layoffs, have committed to return to play next week at the WTA 1000 National Bank Open in Montreal.

Nine of the top 10 players in the rankings are scheduled to take part, as well as

Tokyo Olympics champion Belinda Bencic of Switzerland. Only No. 1 Ashleigh Barty of Australia will skip the tournament.

Andreescu, No. 5 in the world, made a first-round exit at both the French Open and Wimbledon and then declined the invitation to play for Canada in the Olympics.

“I have been dreaming of representing Canada at the

Olympics since I was a little girl, but with all the challenges we are facing as it relates to the pandemic, I know that deep in my heart, this is the right decision to make for myself,” Andreescu announced on Instagram last month.

She was 3-4 in the clay and grass seasons and has had success on the hard courts of U.S. and Canada, where she won at Indian Wells, Toronto and the U.S. Open in 2019.

Halep, the world No. 10, accepted a wild card invitation. The Romanian hasn’t played since Rome in midmay, where she retired with a calf injury. Because of the ailment, she missed the French Open, Wimbledon and the Olympics.