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Montreal’s Rogers Cup is free for everyone this weekend

Click to play video: 'Rogers Cup Family Day'
Rogers Cup Family Day
WATCH: The Rogers Cup is opening its doors to fans and is inviting them to take part in free family friendly activities while also taking in some qualifying matches and practice sessions. Global's Cora MacDonald has a taste of the fun – Aug 3, 2018

The Rogers Cup is back again, and this year the tournament is attracting some of the world’s best female tennis players.

Although qualifying gets under way tomorrow, there are already a ton of activities going on at the IGA Stadium in Villeray.

The tournament, also known as the Canadian Open, is all about the women this year.

In fact, 23 of the world’s top 25 female players are in the tournament. Among those attending are Eugenie Bouchard and Serena Williams.

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“We like to be known as the best female tournament in the world and, actually, we are. We have the world record by far,” said Eugene Lapierre, who has been the director of the Rogers Cup for 18 years.

He told Global News that the Montreal crowds are always appreciated and the annual Free Family Fun Weekend always draws them in.

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“It’s free for today and the next two days. You come down to the [entrance] gate and we give you a free ticket, and you watch the best players in the world practice or play matches starting Saturday or Sunday.”

He adds that every year the organizers make an effort to find fun things for people to do while they wait to watch a tennis match.

“Every year we ask the question: how long do you stay on-site? What’s the duration of your visit? The average is six hours.”

Lapierre says his whole team works together to make this 10-day event memorable for the players and for every person who enters the site.

And it seems to be working: “We are already starting to sell tickets for next year.”

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