The National Bank Open enters a decisive stretch this weekend, with the round of 16 split between Montreal and Toronto. By Sunday night, only eight men and eight women will remain in the hunt for the title.
The setting is especially compelling because the men’s draw in Montreal has already lost several heavy favorites, while Toronto still features most of the women’s elite. Canadian fans also have one clear name left to follow: Leylah Fernandez.
When the next round is played
The round of 16 is scheduled for Saturday, August 8, and Sunday, August 9, 2026. In Montreal, day sessions on the main court begin at 12:30 p.m., with evening matches starting at 6:00 p.m.. Toronto follows a similar pattern, with day play at 12:30 p.m. and night sessions at 7:00 p.m..
The exact order of play is usually released the day before each session, since match length can change the schedule. That uncertainty matters at a tournament where long rallies, three-set battles, and weather delays can quickly reshape the day.
The winners from both cities will advance to the quarterfinals on Monday, August 10, and Tuesday, August 11. At that point, the field will start to look far more like a title race than a long opening-week grind.
Montreal has become wide open
The men’s event in Montreal has shifted sharply after several top seeds were sent home early. Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, and Andrey Rublev were all eliminated before the tournament reached the second week, while Félix Auger-Aliassime withdrew with a back injury. Six of the top ten seeds were already gone by the end of the second round.
That kind of turnover changes everything. Instead of a draw built around the usual favorites, Montreal has turned into a search for who can handle the opportunity now sitting in front of them.
Ben Shelton remains one of the clearest contenders. The defending champion opened with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Jenson Brooksby, using his serve and first-strike game to control the faster conditions at the IGA Stadium. His style fits this surface, and the draw now looks more manageable than it did a few days ago.
Casper Ruud is another player worth watching. He beat Juan Manuel Cerúndolo 6-1, 6-2 in his opener and appears comfortable enough on hard courts to take advantage of the bracket’s open shape. While he is better known for clay-court results, he has enough hard-court experience to be dangerous here.
Young challengers are moving into view
The draw has also created space for rising players to make a deeper run. João Fonseca produced one of the early surprises by knocking out Stefanos Tsitsipas in a tight match, a result that immediately raised his profile in Montreal. The Brazilian already hits with rare power and looks unfazed by the stage.
Arthur Fils also remains in the conversation after defeating Zachary Svajda in three sets. His athleticism and aggressive movement translate well on a quick court, especially when he is dictating play from the baseline.
Tallon Griekspoor may have made the loudest statement of all by beating Zverev after dropping the opening set. His 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 win over the top seed was the type of result that can change a player’s belief for the rest of the tournament. In a section of the draw with fewer established stars, that confidence matters.
Toronto still belongs to the favorites
The women’s event has followed a much more predictable path so far. Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, and Mirra Andreeva all moved through their opening matches and stayed on track for the later rounds.
Aryna Sabalenka remains the player everyone is chasing. She started with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Moyuka Uchijima and extended her hard-court winning streak to 13 matches. On Toronto’s fast courts, her power and serve should continue to give her an edge.
That result also carries ranking significance. A strong week would help preserve her hold on the world No. 1 spot, which adds another layer of pressure to every round she plays.
Elena Rybakina advanced, but not without warning signs. She needed three sets to get past Daria Kasatkina, finishing a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 victory after more than two and a half hours. Her numbers told the story: plenty of winners, but also a high count of errors. When her serve is sharp, she can dominate. When it is not, matches become much less controlled.
Coco Gauff began with a 6-2, 7-5 win over qualifier Kayla Day, relying more on defense and speed than pure rhythm. She was not flawless, but she handled the important points well, which is often enough at this stage of a big tournament.
Jessica Pegula showed her usual composure after falling behind Magdalena Frech. She came back to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 and did so by taking control late, as she has done many times in Canada. Her back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024 give her real comfort in these conditions.
Andreeva and Fernandez bring extra intrigue
Mirra Andreeva may have delivered the sharpest opening statement of the favorites. She overwhelmed former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova 6-0, 6-2 in just 54 minutes, showing the same calm and precision that made her a Grand Slam champion on clay.
At 19, she already looks tactically mature. She defends well, changes pace with ease, and rarely gives away easy points. Her quick adjustment to hard courts is one of the most interesting storylines in Toronto.
For Canadian fans, the spotlight has narrowed to Leylah Fernandez. She stayed alive with a controlled 6-2, 6-2 win over Renata Zarazúa, a result that kept the home hopes intact after a rough stretch for the other Canadians in the draw.
Fernandez will next face Elise Mertens, a veteran who can stretch rallies and punish short balls. Fernandez will need to stay aggressive, take the ball early, and make the match happen on her terms if she wants to extend her run.
That challenge carries extra pressure because she is now the last Canadian still standing in singles. Still, she has already shown enough clean ball striking to believe she can keep the home crowd invested a little longer.
What to expect from the weekend
The round of 16 should clarify which names can truly survive the second week. In Montreal, the door is open for Shelton, Ruud, Fonseca, Fils, and Griekspoor, but none of them can treat this as a routine opportunity. The draw has already shown how quickly the favorite status can disappear.
Toronto feels different. The women’s field still has its biggest names intact, and Sabalenka, Rybakina, Pegula, Gauff, and Andreeva all enter the weekend with realistic title hopes. That makes every match there feel like a preview of the final rounds rather than a scramble for survival.
The tournament also keeps a clear Canadian angle through Fernandez, whose next match could decide whether local interest carries into the quarterfinals. If she advances, the weekend will have given home supporters one more reason to stay locked in.
