The National Bank Open women’s tennis tournament saw a positive turn of events following a slow start. Leylah Fernandez from Canada advanced to the Round of 16. The rising star Alex Eala continued to impress fans, while top players like Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek remained in contention.
Tournament director Karl Hale expressed satisfaction with the tournament’s progress and the growth of tennis in Canada. The event faced a setback when 2025 champion Victoria Mboko withdrew due to a knee injury. To compensate for the absence of a local star, Tennis Canada granted wild-card entries to Bianca Andreescu and six other Canadians. However, only Kayla Cross and Katherine Sebov progressed to the second round and were both eliminated.
The 30th-seeded Fernandez, fresh from her U.S. Open final appearance in 2021, secured a spot in the third round after defeating fifth-seeded Mirra Andreeva. Meanwhile, Filipino sensation Alex Eala advanced to the Round of 16 and is set to face Belinda Bencic.
In other matches, seventh-seeded Iga Swiatek from Poland secured a quarterfinal berth after overcoming Marta Kostyuk. Top seed Aryna Sabalenka suffered an upset loss to Ekaterina Alexandrova. The competition faced weather challenges, including rain delays and damaged courts.
Media coverage at the tournament was lower compared to previous years, with fewer journalists present. Sportsnet started its broadcast on Saturday, and TVA Sports handled the French-language coverage. The tournament continues until Thursday.
In the men’s singles at the National Bank Open in Montreal, Rafael Jodar defeated Jiri Lehecka in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals. Jodar’s impressive performance has garnered support from fans, with chants of “Let’s go Rafa!” echoing in the stadium. He will face Arthur Fils in the next round.
Meanwhile, Luciano Darderi and Brandon Nakashima also secured quarterfinal berths with hard-fought victories. Darderi’s win marked his 30th victory this season, making him the first man to reach 10 ATP Tour quarterfinals. Nakashima expressed his joy at reaching his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal after numerous attempts.
With only one top 10 seed remaining in the men’s singles draw, excitement continues to build in Montreal. Although no Canadians are left in the men’s singles competition, the Canadian duo of Duncan Chan and Alexis Galarneau advanced in the doubles event by defeating the eighth-seeded pair.