MKRob Sports

The 2009 Rogers Cup unveiled a stellar list of top players expected to compete at next month’s tournament in Toronto, Canada.

World number one Dinara Safina leads the player field, followed by multiple Grand Slam champions Venus and Serena Williams. Three-time major champion Maria Sharapova is also scheduled to headline the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Premier tournament.

The complete roster includes each of the current Top 25 players on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and 33 of the Top 35.

“Women’s professional tennis is one of the most widespread celebrated sports in the world,” said Rogers Cup Toronto tournament director Karl Hale.

“A great amount of work and collaboration were needed by the players, the Tour and the tournaments to create a roadmap that has helped change our sport for the better, resulting in the top players competing in the best events such as Rogers Cup. We made a commitment to our fans by remaining a Premier 5 event that included increasing our prize money by an additional $660,000 (US). The roadmap has proven successful this year on Tour and we expect a magnificent player field in Toronto.”

There will be 56 players in the main draw consisting of 39 direct entries, five wildcards and 12 qualifiers. The qualifying draw, which takes place August 15-16, will have 48 players while the doubles main draw will consist of 28 teams. Both the qualifying and doubles entry lists will be announced at a later date.

Rogers Cup Toronto is scheduled for August 15-23 at Rexall Centre on the campus of York University.