Montreal, Aug 17 - Montreal saw history being made when the top eight players of the world entered the quarter-finals of an Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tournament for the first time, while the venue, Uniprix Stadium, broke its own record for a week-long Tour event by selling 200,077 tickets for the Rogers Cup.

The stadium centre court has a capacity of 11,490, while Toronto's Rexall Centre, where the women's tournament got underway Monday, accommodates 10,500 spectators.

Tournament director Eugene Lapierre felt that the presence of World No. 1 Roger Federer and Spaniard Rafael Nadal boosted the ticket sales.

Each year, the men's and the women's tours alternate between the two cities. The events are held on different dates.

But, Lapierre said, that will no longer be the case in 2011, when the women's and men's tournaments will be played on the same dates, one in each city.