From Tennis Canada: Montreal, August 4, 2018 — On Saturday, Tennis Canada announced that Serena Williams was withdrawing from Rogers Cup presented by National Bank for personal reasons. 

“Of course, we are disappointed that Serena will not be joining us. Fans were very much looking forward to seeing her in action,” said Eugène Lapierre, tournament director of Rogers Cup presented by National Bank. “But beyond the disappointment, the tournament, as a whole, remains a high-level competition. The entire Top 10 is here, along with 22 of the Top 25. There are exciting matches in store from the outset.” 

With Serena Williams’ withdrawal, Tatjana Maria of Germany bypasses the qualifying event to take the American’s spot in the main draw. In the first round, she is up against Alizé Cornet of France.