Canadian Open 2026 Tournament Review – Everything That Happened at the National Bank Open
The 2026 Canadian Open ran from August 1 to 13 across IGA Stadium in Montreal and Sobeys Stadium in Toronto, delivering 13 days of extraordinary tennis that produced historic title defences, generational upsets, emotional farewells, and some of the most compelling storylines professional tennis has produced all season.
This Canadian Open 2026 tournament review covers everything that happened across both draws from the opening qualifying round to the final trophy presentations on August 13.
Quick Facts:
| Detail | Info |
| Dates | August 1-13, 2026 |
| ATP venue | IGA Stadium, Montreal |
| WTA venue | Sobeys Stadium, Toronto |
| ATP winner | Ben Shelton (USA) |
| WTA winner | Iga Swiatek (POL) |
| ATP finalist | Brandon Nakashima (USA) |
| WTA finalist | Elena Rybakina (KAZ) |
| ATP prize money | $9,415,724 |
| WTA prize money | $7,433,076 |
Tournament at a Glance
The complete picture of both draws from first round to final.
ATP Montreal – Key Results:
| Round | Winner | Loser | Score |
| Final | Ben Shelton (5) | Brandon Nakashima (28) | 6-3, 7-6(4) |
| SF 1 | Brandon Nakashima | Rafael Jodar (20) | 7-6(3), 6-4 |
| SF 2 | Ben Shelton (5) | Learner Tien (12) | 6-2, 6-3 |
| QF | Shelton def. Mensik | 6-3, 6-1 | Dominant |
| QF | Nakashima def. Darderi | 6-2, 6-3 | 150th career win |
| QF | Jodar def. Fils | 7-6(5), 6-3 | Dark horse |
| QF | Tien def. Merida | 6-3, 6-2 | First M1000 SF |
| Biggest upset | Griekspoor def. Zverev (1) | 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-4 | Top seed gone |
WTA Toronto – Key Results:
| Round | Winner | Loser | Score |
| Final | Iga Swiatek (7) | Elena Rybakina (2) | 6-2, 6-3 |
| SF 1 | Iga Swiatek (7) | Elina Svitolina (9) | 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 |
| SF 2 | Elena Rybakina (2) | Coco Gauff (4) | 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 |
| QF | Swiatek def. Shnaider | 6-2, 6-1 | 64 minutes |
| QF | Svitolina def. Alexandrova | 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 | Emotional comeback |
| QF | Rybakina def. Osaka | 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 | 2hr 33min thriller |
| QF | Gauff walkover | Bencic withdrew | Hip injury |
| Biggest upset | Alexandrova def. Sabalenka (1) | 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-4 | World No. 1 gone |
The Weather Story
Rain was the unwanted third participant at the 2026 Canadian Open, disrupting both cities on three separate occasions and forcing tournament officials to manage the most significant weather backlog this event has experienced in recent years.
Three major rain disruptions:
| Disruption | Date | Impact |
| Toronto Day 2 | August 2 | Night session cancelled, Venus Williams match delayed nearly 2 hours |
| Montreal Day 5 | August 10 | All four ATP quarterfinals moved from Monday to Tuesday |
| Toronto SF day | August 12 | Both WTA semifinals delayed over one hour, Rybakina vs Gauff finished near 1AM |
Key consequences:
- Montreal men’s quarterfinals compressed into one extraordinary Tuesday of tennis
- Toronto semifinal night session pushed into the early hours of Thursday morning
- Finals day on August 13 unaffected, both titles decided on schedule
- IGA Stadium’s retractable roof over Centre Court gave Montreal an advantage Sobeys Stadium could not match
Despite the disruptions both tournaments completed on schedule, a testament to the organizational efficiency of Tennis Canada and the tournament operations team across both venues.
ATP Montreal – Tournament Review
The Montreal draw delivered one of the most dramatic and unpredictable weeks in Canadian Open history, combining a historic sequence of upsets and withdrawals with the emergence of young talent that will define men’s tennis for years to come.
The Draw That Lost Everything
The Canadian Open 2026 tournament review cannot be told without acknowledging the extraordinary sequence of withdrawals and upsets that stripped the Montreal draw of its biggest names before the tournament reached the quarterfinals.
Seeds lost before or during the tournament:
| Player | Ranking | How Lost |
| Jannik Sinner | World No. 1 | Withdrew before tournament |
| Carlos Alcaraz | World No. 3 | Withdrew before tournament |
| Novak Djokovic | World No. 8 | Withdrew before tournament |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | No. 2 seed | Withdrew Day 5, back injury |
| Alexander Zverev | No. 1 seed | Upset by Griekspoor R32 |
| Daniil Medvedev | No. 4 seed | Upset by Van de Zandschulp R32 |
The result was historic: no top-five seeds in the Round of 16 for the first time since 1991 in Montreal.
The Emerging Stars
What the draw lost in established names it gained in emerging talent, producing one of the most exciting next-generation storylines any Masters 1000 event has delivered in years.
The breakthrough performances:
| Player | Age | Journey |
| Rafael Jodar | 19 | No. 168 to No. 15 in one season, first M1000 SF |
| Brandon Nakashima | 25 | Zero M1000 QFs to finalist in one week |
| Joao Fonseca | 19 | Beat Tsitsipas and Ruud, R16 appearance |
| Daniel Merida | 21 | Five hard court wins from zero, first M1000 QF |
| Learner Tien | 20 | First M1000 SF, beat Paul and Tirante |
Shelton’s Historic Defence
Ben Shelton was the defining story of the Montreal draw from first match to trophy presentation.
His historic achievement in numbers:
- 12 consecutive wins in Canada spanning 2025 and 2026
- Zero sets dropped across six matches in Montreal
- Zero break points faced in the final
- Seventh man in the Open Era to defend the Canadian Open title
- Fourth ATP title of 2026 season
- All-American final first at Masters 1000 level since 2003
For the complete final result read our Canadian Open 2026 mens final results article.
WTA Toronto – Tournament Review
The Toronto draw delivered the most compelling women’s tennis of the entire 2026 North American hard court swing, combining stunning upsets with emotional storylines and a final that settled one of the most evenly matched rivalries in women’s tennis.
The Upset Tournament
Three of the original top five seeds were eliminated before the semifinals, reshaping the draw completely and opening paths for players who arrived as outsiders to reach the final week.
Key upsets in Toronto:
| Upset | Round | Detail |
| Alexandrova def. Sabalenka (1) | Round of 16 | Double fault on match point, world No. 1 gone |
| Shnaider def. Pegula (3) | Quarterfinal | First win over two-time champion in five meetings |
| McNally def. Noskova (6) | Round of 32 | From 5-1 down, won 12 of next 14 games |
| Bencic withdrew vs Gauff | Quarterfinal | Hip injury, walkover |
For the complete upset analysis read our Canadian Open 2026 biggest upsets guide.
The Storylines That Captivated
Beyond the upsets, Toronto delivered human stories that transcended tennis results and connected with audiences far beyond the regular tennis following.
The defining storylines:
- Eala-Mania: Filipino sensation Alexandra Eala arrived fresh from her Washington DC title and reached the Round of 16 in front of sold-out crowds of flag-waving Filipino fans at Sobeys Stadium
- Fernandez beats Andreeva: Canada’s last hope defeated fifth seed Mirra Andreeva 6-1, 6-4 in her best result of 2026, the loudest crowd moment of the tournament for Canadian fans
- Svitolina’s emotional run: The Ukrainian reached her first Canadian Open semifinal since winning the title in 2017, with Ukrainian fans filling sections of Sobeys Stadium for every match
- Kayla Cross historic win: The 21-year-old from London Ontario recorded her first career WTA Tour victory in only her third professional match against British No. 1 Katie Boulter
Swiatek Ends Drought
Iga Swiatek arrived in Toronto having gone 11 months without a title. She left with her 12th WTA 1000 crown and her 26th career title after a dominant 6-2, 6-3 final over Elena Rybakina.
Swiatek’s Toronto milestone:
- First title of 2026 season
- 12th WTA 1000 crown, second only to Serena Williams (13)
- 26th career title overall
- H2H vs Rybakina now 7-6 in Swiatek’s favour
- Now owns all five significant North American titles
For the complete final result read our Canadian Open 2026 womens final results article.
Canadian Tennis – The Full Picture
The Canadian Open 2026 tournament review delivers a mixed but ultimately encouraging verdict on Canadian tennis across both cities. For a complete grade-by-grade breakdown of every Canadian player, read our Canadian Open 2026 Canadian players report.
Canadian highlights:
- Leylah Fernandez defeated fifth seed Mirra Andreeva 6-1, 6-4, her best result of 2026 and first top-10 win in over a year
- Kayla Cross recorded her first career WTA Tour victory in only her third professional match
- Gabriel Diallo won his first ever main draw match in his hometown Montreal, his 50th career tour win
- Duncan Chan and Alexis Galarneau reached the men’s doubles quarterfinal, the last Canadians competing at the tournament
Canadian disappointments:
- Felix Auger-Aliassime withdrew with a back injury two hours before his opening match as the second seed
- Denis Shapovalov retired through injury during his opening match
- Bianca Andreescu lost from 5-2 up in the first set of her opening match
- Carol Zhao announced her retirement from professional tennis on the day of her first round match
The injury crisis:
Tennis Canada’s Vice President of High Performance acknowledged publicly that FAA, Diallo, and Shapovalov all being sidelined simultaneously was a significant concern heading into the US Open swing, calling for their top players to return to health before Flushing Meadows.
The Numbers That Defined the Tournament
The Canadian Open 2026 tournament review is best captured in the statistics that tell the story of 13 days of tennis across two cities simultaneously.
Tournament by the numbers:
| Stat | Detail |
| Total matches played | 190 plus across both draws |
| Rain disruptions | 3 significant delays |
| Top seeds withdrawn before tournament | 3 ATP (Sinner, Alcaraz, Djokovic) |
| Top seeds upset in Montreal | Zverev (1), Medvedev (4) |
| Top seeds upset in Toronto | Sabalenka (1), Pegula (3), Noskova (6) |
| First time since 1991 | No top-5 in Montreal R16 |
| Shelton sets dropped | 0 across 6 matches |
| Shelton Canada winning streak | 12 consecutive matches |
| Swiatek match duration in final | 1 hour 15 minutes |
| All-American final | First Masters 1000 since 2003 |
| Brazilian doubles history | Luz/Matos first Brazilian M1000 doubles title |
| Rybakina aces vs Osaka | 15 in one quarterfinal match |
| Nakashima career high | World No. 22 after finalist run |
| Jodar ranking rise | No. 168 to No. 15 in one season |
| Swiatek WTA 1000 titles | 12th, second only to Serena Williams |
The defining moments:
- Sabalenka double fault on match point – August 8
- Monfils farewell tribute on Centre Court – August 5
- Eala-Mania selling out Sobeys Stadium – August 4 through 9
- All-American final confirmed – August 12
- Swiatek lifting trophy ending 11-month drought – August 13
FAQs
Conclusion
The Canadian Open 2026 tournament review confirms what anyone who followed both draws across 13 days already knows. This was one of the most compelling editions of the National Bank Open in the modern era of professional tennis.
Shelton defending his title without dropping a set. Swiatek ending her drought in dominant fashion. Five major upsets reshaping both draws. An all-American final for the first time since 2003. Eala-Mania. Monfils farewell. Fernandez beating a top-5 seed at home. Cross making history in her third professional match. The next generation of men’s tennis arriving in Montreal and announcing itself to the world.
The 2027 Canadian Open cannot come soon enough. Until then, explore our complete coverage of everything that happened across both cities on our Canadian Open results page.
