The North American hard-court swing is underway, with the National Bank Open in Canada to come next. Back to court since the Wimbledon knockout, Coco Gauff has touched down in Toronto to play on her favorite surface. On Saturday, the World No. 4 American was spotted hitting the practice courts, as her campaign starts with her second-round match next week. The WTA 1000 tournament will begin with the qualifying rounds on August 1, with the main draw getting underway on August 3 and running through August 13.
Coco Gauff Arrives in Toronto and Hits the Practice Courts Ahead of the National Bank Open
Gauff wasted no time getting down to work in Toronto. Pics from her early practice sessions show the American looking relaxed and smiling in a bright blue shirt. She also took to Instagram to give fans a glimpse into her setup, posting an artistic photo of her shadow cast over the green court with “TORONTO” painted in bold white letters. Gauff captioned the story: “how it feels to be back on hard court 😌”.
Coco Gauff has arrived in Toronto.
Ready for the hard courts. ✌️ pic.twitter.com/uPCgeR6tcG
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 31, 2026
Coco Gauff getting ready for the National Bank Open. pic.twitter.com/w8P71Haycb
— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) August 1, 2026
While Gauff is the defending co-champion in doubles alongside McCartney Kessler, she hasn’t advanced past the quarterfinals in the singles in the tournament. Last year, she lost to Victoria Mboko, the eventual champion, in the Round of 16 in straight sets. Mboko, however, has withdrawn from the tournament this time due to a knee injury she suffered during the grass-court swing.
Although the former US Open champion hasn’t won any titles this year, she has come quite close. She had a few strong runs, including an Australian Open quarterfinal and a WTA 1000 final appearance at both the Miami Open and the Italian Open. Last month, the two-time Grand Slam winner had a career-best semifinal run in the grass courts of Wimbledon, where she hadn’t made it past the third round, but she lost to Karolina Muchova.
The field is stacked with heavyweights like Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Iga Swiatek, alongside two-time champion Jessica Pegula. Besides, there will be the 2024 finalist Amanda Anisimova, the 2017 champion Elina Svitolina, the 2019 champion and hometown favorite Bianca Andreescu, Madison Keys, Marta Kostyuk, and Venus Williams.
As the fourth seed, Gauff will get a bye in the first round and will play either a qualifier or Diane Parry, whom she has never faced before.
