Things took a positive turn following a rocky start at the National Bank Open women’s tennis tournament. Leylah Fernandez of Canada secured a spot in the Round of 16. The excitement around breakout star Alex Eala, known as “Eala-Mania,” intensified with her recent victory. Notable players like Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek remained in the tournament.
Tournament director Karl Hale expressed satisfaction with the current state of affairs, anticipating further growth in the tournament and the sport of tennis in Canada. The event faced a setback when Victoria Mboko, the 2025 champion from Burlington, Ont., withdrew due to a knee injury. To compensate for the loss of a local star, Tennis Canada granted wild-card entries to seven Canadians, including former champion Bianca Andreescu.
Despite the wild-card entries, only two Canadians, Kayla Cross and Katherine Sebov, progressed to the second round but were eliminated. Doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski also exited in the first round, marking the end of Canadian representation in the doubles competition.
The tournament director acknowledged the presence of top-ranked players, emphasizing the importance of Canadian players performing well. Leylah Fernandez, seeded 30th, advanced to the third round after defeating Mirra Andreeva and is set to face Naomi Osaka. Meanwhile, Alex Eala continued to captivate the audience as she advanced to the Round of 16.
In other matches, Iga Swiatek secured a spot in the quarterfinals by defeating Marta Kostyuk, while Diana Shnaider upset Jessica Pegula. Aryna Sabalenka suffered a defeat against Ekaterina Alexandrova, who will face Elina Svitolina in the next round.
The tournament faced weather-related challenges, with rain affecting match schedules and causing damage to the court infrastructure. Additionally, there was a noted decrease in media presence compared to previous years, with some major outlets no longer providing coverage.
The men’s singles event in Montreal saw Rafael Jodar defeating Jiri Lehecka in a dominant fashion to reach the quarterfinals. Jodar’s impressive performance and rise in the rankings have garnered attention from fans and spectators, with chants of support echoing during his matches.
As the competition progresses, the excitement continues to build, with players like Luciano Darderi and Brandon Nakashima advancing to the quarterfinals. Ben Shelton remains the sole top 10 seed in the men’s singles draw, while the Canadian doubles team of Duncan Chan and Alexis Galarneau is still in contention in the doubles competition.