Latest news with #NBO


Globe and Mail
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Globe and Mail
Canada's Leylah Fernandez rips tournament organizers after crashing out of NBO
Leylah Fernandez has a bone to pick with tournament organizers. Not only did she exit the court crushed by her lacklustre performance before a hometown crowd – tears still running down her cheeks more than 90 minutes after the match – Fernandez also blamed unfavourable scheduling that set her up to fail. The top-ranked Canadian crashed out of the National Bank Open's first round with a lopsided 6-4, 6-1 loss to Australia's Maya Joint on Tuesday afternoon, two days after hoisting her fourth WTA crown at the D.C. Open. Fernandez said she received 'a lot of promises' that she would take the court during Tuesday's night session, giving her more time to rest between the two tournaments, but learned Sunday while travelling to Montreal from Washington that wouldn't be the case. 'I did not receive that,' she said. 'That hurt me because I was very looking forward to be playing at night, but I guess it's a little bit political issues at that point.' Valérie Tétreault, the National Bank Open tournament director in Montreal, responded that she promised Fernandez she would 'fight so that she could have the time she wanted.' 'But I didn't win my fight,' Tétreault said, noting that the WTA Tour determines scheduling. 'I received the request for her to play in the evening. It's my role to have conversations with the WTA, so I pushed as much as possible for her to have what she wanted.' Eugenie Bouchard extends her career with NBO win Tétreault added that exceptions had already been made for Fernandez. The 22-year-old from Laval, Que., and Joint were among the final three first-round matches held until Tuesday, despite her half of the bracket starting play on Sunday. Fellow D.C. Open finalist Anna Kalinskaya of Russia was also scheduled to play no earlier than 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, but she won her match 7-6 (6), 0-6, 6-3 over Ann Li of the United States. 'Normally when we have matches that are delayed, when there is catch-up to do, we have to play them as early as possible during the day,' Tétreault said. 'We pushed her at least so that it wouldn't be the first match at 11 a.m. to give her a chance to recover.' Tennis Canada backed up Tétreault's words in a statement. 'WTA protocols mean first-round matches need to be completed before second-round matches are played, ensuring fairness to all players,' the statement read. 'Given Leylah won the title in Washington on Sunday, she was not able to arrive in Montreal until the early hours of Monday morning. As a result, the WTA made the decision to play her opening match in the latest possible first-round slot.' Fernandez had previously detailed a whirlwind turnaround after her victory Sunday in Washington. The 2021 U.S. Open finalist arrived back home in Montreal at roughly 2 a.m. Monday and slept about three hours before attending an event for her foundation at IGA Stadium around 8 a.m. later that morning. The fatigue certainly showed on the court. 'It felt great being on court, hearing the fans and feeling their support. I was just disappointed with my level of play, and it wasn't fair for them,' the No. 24-ranked Fernandez said. 'It was a very, very low level.' Fernandez gave up six break points and won only 49 per cent of her points on first serve. The 19-year-old Joint, ranked 45th, won 62 of 109 points to win the match in 75 minutes. Fernandez fell down 2-0, double-faulting twice to drop her first service game. In a 5-2 hole, Fernandez saved a set point and battled back to make it 5-4, but failed to hold serve once again. Joint rolled to a 4-0 lead in the second and hardly looked back. The Canadian also took issue with the WTA's tone when it revealed the scheduling to her coach – and father – Jorge Fernandez. 'They asked him with a sarcastic tone if two or three hours would make a difference,' she said. 'Yes, it would make a great difference. Maybe I win the match, maybe I don't, but of course it helps the two to three hours where I could sleep a little more. 'Physical recovery, maybe a stretching session, a massage could help me. But it's just small things of 'What if,' but it didn't happen and that's it.' This year's National Bank Open – a WTA 1000-level tournament – debuted a revamped 12-day, 96-player format, with the top 32 seeds receiving byes to the second round. Tétreault said she foresaw potential problems arising from her tournament's main draw beginning the same day as the WTA 500 final in Washington. 'The calendar is supposed to be made so that the 1000-level tournaments are prioritized over a WTA 500,' she said. 'We'll have to go back to the drawing table.' Fernandez was only one story on a less-than-ideal day for Canadians, as Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., and Vancouver's Rebecca Marino also exited the tournament. Andreescu withdrew with a left ankle injury, sustaining the ailment on match point of her first-round win Sunday night versus Barbora Krejcikova of Czechia. Marino, meanwhile, fell 6-1, 6-2 to eighth seed Emma Navarro of the United States in second-round action. The 25-year-old Andreescu said she tore ligaments in her ankle but wouldn't rule out a return to the court at the Cincinnati Open, which begins in just over a week. The former world No. 4 has repeatedly spent time off the court with back, shoulder, knee, ankle and foot injuries. 'I even screamed out like, 'Why does this keep happening to me?'' she said. 'At this point, it's laughable. It's just crazy. I'm trying to stay positive but it's getting really tough.' Toronto's Victoria Mboko and Eugenie Bouchard, who extended her career Monday night with a first-round win over Colombia's Emiliana Arango, were the only Canadians remaining in the women's singles bracket. Mboko took on No. 23 seed Sofia Kenin of the United States in the late match, after No. 1 seed Coco Gauff opened her tournament with a second-round meeting against fellow American Danielle Collins in Fernandez's desired slot.


CBC
21 hours ago
- Sport
- CBC
Canada's Andreescu withdraws from National Bank Open with ankle injury
Bianca Andreescu has withdrawn from the National Bank Open with a left ankle injury. The 25-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., sustained the injury on match point Sunday night versus Barbora Krejcikova, but pulled out the first-round win 6-3, 6-4. Andreescu said she tore some ligaments in her ankle but wouldn't rule out a return to the court at the Cincinnati Open, which begins in just over a week. She was supposed to play No. 4 seed Mirra Andreeva of Russia in the second round at the National Bank Open on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier on Tuesday, Rebecca Marino fell 6-1, 6-2 to eighth seed Emma Navarro of the United States in second-round action. WATCH | Bouchard completes 1st-round upset at NBO in final tournament: Bouchard's retirement celebration on hold after upset victory in front of hometown crowd 16 hours ago Montreal tennis fans were ecstatic on Monday night as Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que., defeated Emiliana Arango of Colombia 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 in the first round of the National Bank Open. The tennis pro praised for opening the door for other Canadian tennis players says it will be her last tournament before she retires, finishing off her career at home. The 34-year-old from Vancouver never broke Navarro, failing to convert three opportunities. She also won just 59 per cent of her first-service points and 23 per cent on her second serve. Navarro put 74 per cent of her first serves in play and won 82 per cent of those points. The 24-year-old broke Marino four times as the match lasted 63 minutes. Marino, ranked 123rd, beat French qualifier Elsa Jacquemot 7-6 (2), 6-1 in the first round. Elsewhere, Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., took on Australia's Maya Joint in the first round after winning the D.C. Open on Sunday for her fourth career WTA title. In the evening, No. 1 seed Coco Gauff opened her tournament with a second-round meeting against fellow American Danielle Collins. Toronto's Victoria Mboko took on No. 23 seed Sofia Kenin of the United States in the late match.


Mid East Info
a day ago
- Business
- Mid East Info
NBO Empowers Businesses in Oman with Seamless Merchant Payment Solutions - Middle East Business News and Information
28 July 2025, Muscat: The National Bank of Oman (NBO) continues to support business owners through an integrated suite of merchant payment services designed to simplify payment acceptance, processing, and enhance customer convenience. The Bank offers a full spectrum of merchant payment solutions, including Point of Sale (POS) terminals, an E-Commerce Payment Gateway and Merchant QR Codes. These services cater to a wide range of businesses, applicable to all registered and licensed entities such as home and microbusinesses, retail stores, corporate entities, small and medium-sized entities (SMEs) and government entities Commenting on this, Dr Ali Al Shekaili, Assistant General Manager – Head of Digital and E-Channels at NBO, said, 'As Oman's economy becomes increasingly digital, we believe it is essential to equip every business with the means to thrive. Our merchant payment solutions reflect this belief by helping businesses accept payments securely while staying competitive, connected and ready for what comes next.' The POS terminals support local and international card schemes including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, UnionPay, Discover and Diners Club. The features include POS system integration with electronic cash registers, kiosks, and vending machines. In addition, it supports converting transactions to Easy Payment Plans, paying in local currency with Dynamic Currency Conversion, paying using rewards points and real-time data synchronisation as sales data from the POS is automatically reflected in the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, ensuring accurate inventory levels, financial records and reporting. The E-Commerce Payment Gateway supports 3D secure online payments and offers a secure and seamless checkout experience. The solution offers link payments, recurring payments, and batch payments options, as well as smart routing of transactions through a single application programming interface. E–commerce payment gateways are compatible with ERP systems, websites and mobile apps. The Merchant QR code allows customers to scan, pay and complete transactions instantly. This solution is particularly well-suited for home and microbusinesses. No terminal is required, and merchants can simply use the Merchant Static QR provided by the bank to complete transactions, providing a contactless, easy-to-use alternative to traditional payment methods.


Zawya
a day ago
- Business
- Zawya
NBO empowers businesses in Oman with seamless merchant payment solutions
Muscat: The National Bank of Oman (NBO) continues to support business owners through an integrated suite of merchant payment services designed to simplify payment acceptance, processing, and enhance customer convenience. The Bank offers a full spectrum of merchant payment solutions, including Point of Sale (POS) terminals, an E-Commerce Payment Gateway and Merchant QR Codes. These services cater to a wide range of businesses, applicable to all registered and licensed entities such as home and microbusinesses, retail stores, corporate entities, small and medium-sized entities (SMEs) and government entities. Commenting on this, Dr Ali Al Shekaili, Assistant General Manager – Head of Digital and E-Channels at NBO, said, 'As Oman's economy becomes increasingly digital, we believe it is essential to equip every business with the means to thrive. Our merchant payment solutions reflect this belief by helping businesses accept payments securely while staying competitive, connected and ready for what comes next.' The POS terminals support local and international card schemes including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, UnionPay, Discover and Diners Club. The features include POS system integration with electronic cash registers, kiosks, and vending machines. In addition, it supports converting transactions to Easy Payment Plans, paying in local currency with Dynamic Currency Conversion, paying using rewards points and real-time data synchronisation as sales data from the POS is automatically reflected in the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, ensuring accurate inventory levels, financial records and reporting. The E-Commerce Payment Gateway supports 3D secure online payments and offers a secure and seamless checkout experience. The solution offers link payments, recurring payments, and batch payments options, as well as smart routing of transactions through a single application programming interface. E–commerce payment gateways are compatible with ERP systems, websites and mobile apps. The Merchant QR code allows customers to scan, pay and complete transactions instantly. This solution is particularly well-suited for home and microbusinesses. No terminal is required, and merchants can simply use the Merchant Static QR provided by the bank to complete transactions, providing a contactless, easy-to-use alternative to traditional payment methods. NBO's merchant payment solutions are designed to enhance accessibility and efficiency for businesses at every level. For more information, contact MerchantHelpDesk@ access the Merchant Application Form and Merchant E-Commerce Form via or contact the Call Centre on 24770000


Toronto Star
3 days ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
Canada's Stakusic bows out of NBO with first-round loss to Cristian
MONTREAL - Canada's Marina Stakusic put up a valiant effort, but ultimately fell to Romania's Jaqueline Cristian 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the opening round of the National Bank Open on Sunday. The 142nd-ranked Stakusic, in her fourth appearance at the NBO, was making her main draw debut in Montreal after bowing out in the second round of last year's tournament, held in Toronto.