On Wednesday, a whirlwind of emotions swept through Toronto and Montreal as Canadian tennis stars faced a day of triumph and heartbreak at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers.
In men’s action, Gabriel Diallo seized the spotlight, triumphing over Italy’s Matteo Gigante in a thrilling straight-sets victory that had the hometown crowd roaring. Unfortunately, teammates Alexis Galarneau and Felix Auger-Aliassime, Canada’s top-ranked player, couldn’t replicate that success, both bowing out in the Round of 64.
Meanwhile, in Montreal, the atmosphere was filled with emotion as Eugenie Bouchard announced her retirement from professional tennis following her defeat to Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic at Centre Court.
As the tournament progresses to the Round of 32, only two Canadians remain in the mix. Diallo will take a breather Thursday in preparation for a highly anticipated rematch against Taylor Fritz on Friday. Simultaneously, all eyes will be on Victoria Mboko, who is set to light up the evening session in Montreal with her match against Marie Bouzkova on Centre Court.
At just 18 years old and ranked 85th on the WTA tour, Mboko is making waves with her remarkable ascent in the pro tennis world. This week in Montreal, she made headlines by defeating Sofia Kenin in straight sets, becoming the youngest Canadian to topple a Grand Slam champion at the National Bank Open.
This upcoming clash with Bouzkova marks their first encounter; Bouzkova holds the 39th ranking and comes into the match riding a seven-match winning streak. Can Mboko secure yet another victory against a top-50 opponent?
Top Seeds Take the Spotlight on Centre Court
After a shaky victory against fellow American Danielle Collins, No. 2-ranked Coco Gauff is expected to deliver a more polished performance as she faces Veronika Kudermetova (ranked No. 42) on Thursday.
Gauff, the leading seed in the women’s draw, struggled with her serve in the previous round, but she has a slight advantage in their rivalry, holding a 2-1 lead against Kudermetova in 2023.
Meanwhile, in Toronto, top men’s seed Alexander Zverev prepares to take center stage against 32nd seed Matteo Arnaldi. The German is on the brink of a milestone, just one win away from his 500th tour-level match victory, and could become the first man born after 1990 to reach this significant achievement.
Former Champions Collide
As Daniil Medvedev battles Alexei Popyrin on Thursday evening, fans in Toronto can look forward to a thrilling duel between two past champions of the National Bank Open. Medvedev captured the title in Toronto in 2021, while Popyrin holds the title from Montreal last year. Although Medvedev leads their head-to-head record 4-1, Popyrin enters the match with a seven-match winning streak, stemming from his tournament victory last year.
Women’s Session: Day starts at 12:30 p.m. on Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet+; Evening session at 7 p.m. on Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet+.
Men’s Session: Daytime at 11 a.m. on Sportsnet, Sportsnet+; Evening session at 7 p.m. on Sportsnet, Sportsnet+.
Women’s Matches in Montreal (all times ET)
Centre Court (starts at 12:30 p.m.)
[24] Marta Kostyuk (Ukraine) vs. [15] Daria Kasatkina (Australia)
[1] Coco Gauff (U.S.) vs. Veronika Kudermetova (Russia)
Not before 7 p.m.
[Wild Card] Victoria Mboko (Canada) vs. Marie Bouzkova (Czechia)
[9] Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) vs. Jaqueline Cristian (Romania)
Rogers Court (starts at 12:30 p.m.)
Lin Zhu (China) vs. Suzan Lamens (Netherlands)
Not before 2 p.m.
[4] Mirra Andreeva (Russia) vs. [28] McCartney Kessler (U.S.)
Not before 6 p.m.
Jessica Bouzas Maneiro (Spain) vs. [Qualifier] Aoi Ito (Japan)
[30] Dayana Yastremska (Ukraine) vs. [8] Emma Navarro (U.S.)
Court 5 (starts at 12:30 p.m.)
Maya Joint (Australia) / Caty McNally (U.S.) vs. Desirae Krawczyk (U.S.) / Giuliana Olmos (Mexico)
Not before 2 p.m.
Peyton Stearns (U.S.) / Marketa Vondrousova (Czechia) vs. Madison Keys (U.S.) / Jessica Pegula (U.S.)
Kamilla Rakhimova (Russia) / Galina Voskoboeva (Kazakhstan) vs. Ulrikke Eikeri (Norway) / Eri Hozumi (Japan)
After suitable rest
[4] Veronika Kudermetova (Russia) / Elise Mertens (Belgium) vs. Beatriz Haddad Maia (Brazil) / Laura Siegemund (Germany)
Court 9 (starts at 12:30 p.m.)
[6] Asia Muhammad (U.S.) / Demi Schuurs (Netherlands) vs. Shuko Aoyama (Japan) / Cristina Bucsa (Spain)
Barbora Krejcikova (Czechia) / Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) vs. Tereza Mihalikova (Slovakia) / Olivia Nicholls (Great Britain)
Katarzyna Piter (Poland) / Sabrina Santamaria (U.S.) vs. Hanyu Guo (China) / Alexandra Panova (Russia)
Nicole Melichar-Martinez (U.S.) / Liudmila Samsonova (Russia) vs. [7] Lyudmyla Kichenok (Ukraine) / Ellen Perez (Australia)
Men’s Matches in Toronto (all times ET)
Centre Court (starts at 12:30 p.m.)
[3] Lorenzo Musetti (Italy) vs. [26] Alex Michelsen (U.S.)
[30] Nuno Borges (Portugal) vs. [8] Casper Ruud (Norway)
Not before 7 p.m.
[1] Alexander Zverev (Germany) vs. [32] Matteo Arnaldi (Italy)
[10] Daniil Medvedev (Russia) vs. [18] Alexei Popyrin (Australia)
Motorola Razr Grandstand Court (starts at 11 a.m.)
[11] Karen Khachanov (Russia) vs. [Qualifier] Emilio Nava (U.S.)
Tomas Martin Etcheverry (Argentina) vs. [14] Francisco Cerundolo (Argentina)
Not before 3 p.m.
Nathaniel Lammons (U.S.) / Jackson Withrow (U.S.) vs. Arthur Fils (France) / Ben Shelton (U.S.)
Not before 5 p.m.
Learner Tien (U.S.) vs. Reilly Opelka (U.S.)
[29] Alexandre Muller (France) vs. [5] Holger Rune (Denmark)
Court 1 (starts at 12:30 p.m.)
[1] Marcelo Arevalo (El Salvador) / Mate Pavic (Croatia) vs. Jiri Lehecka (Czechia) / Jakub Mensik (Czechia)
Not before 2 p.m.
Robert Galloway (U.S.) / Brandon Nakashima (U.S.) vs. alternate team
After suitable rest
Alex Michelsen (U.S.) / Frances Tiafoe (U.S.) vs. [Wild Card] Gabriel Diallo (Canada) / Alexis Galarneau (Canada)
Not before 5 p.m.
[7] Christian Harrison (U.S.) / Evan King (U.S.) vs. [WC] Liam Draxl (Canada) / Cleeve Harper (Canada)
Court 4 (starts at 12:30 p.m.)
Nikola Mektic (Croatia) / Rajeev Ram (U.S.) vs. Sadio Doumbia (France) / Fabien Reboul (France)
Flavio Cobolli (Italy) / Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (Spain) vs. [2] Julian Cash (Great Britain) / Lloyd Glasspool (Great Britain)
Austin Krajicek (U.S.) / Horacio Zeballos (Argentina) vs. Alex de Minaur (Australia) / Matthew Ebden (Australia)
Not before 5 p.m.
Yuki Bhambri (India) / Michael Venus (New Zealand) vs. John Peers (Australia) / Jan Zielinski (Poland)
