The National Bank Open reaches its round of 16 this weekend, with the men in Montreal and the women in Toronto both moving into the most revealing stage of the event. By Sunday night, the field will be trimmed to eight players in each draw, and several of the sport’s biggest names will be tested under pressure.
The schedule is spread across Saturday, August 8, and Sunday, August 9, with quarterfinals set to follow on Monday and Tuesday. Because the tournament has already produced a wave of upsets in Montreal and a more predictable set of results in Toronto, the next two days should help separate the contenders from the survivors.
What the Weekend Schedule Looks Like
Round-of-16 action will unfold over two days, with both singles draws using center-court day and evening sessions. In Montreal, the day session starts at 12:30 p.m., while the evening session begins at 6 p.m. Toronto follows a similar rhythm, with daytime matches at 12:30 p.m. and night matches at 7 p.m.
- Saturday, August 8: First half of the round of 16
- Sunday, August 9: Remaining round-of-16 matches
- Monday, August 10: Women’s and men’s quarterfinals begin
- Tuesday, August 11: Quarterfinal play continues
The full order of play is normally released the day before each session, since match length, weather, and court availability can all affect timing. Fans planning to watch on site or on television should check for updates before each day begins.
Montreal Has Turned Into a Chaos Zone
The men’s draw has been transformed by early exits. Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, and Andrey Rublev all fell in their opening matches, while Félix Auger-Aliassime, the second seed, withdrew with a back injury. With six of the top 10 seeds already gone before the second round finished, the bracket has opened far wider than expected.
That kind of shake-up changes the entire tone of the event. Instead of a straightforward race among the top seeds, Montreal now feels like a tournament where momentum, belief, and timing may matter more than ranking alone.
Ben Shelton is still one of the clearest names at the front of the conversation. The defending champion opened with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Jenson Brooksby, and his big serve plus aggressive court position suit the faster conditions in Montreal. Casper Ruud also enters the discussion after a dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory over Juan Manuel Cerúndolo, a result that showed how quickly he can control a match when his baseline game is clicking.
Why Shelton Still Has the Best Title Path
Shelton returns as the player everyone else must account for. His 2025 title run gave him his first Masters 1000 trophy, and that breakthrough changed the way he is viewed in a draw like this. He is no longer just a dangerous young attacker; he is now a defending champion with expectations attached.
His route looks more favorable after so many top seeds were eliminated, but that does not make it simple. Shelton can overwhelm opponents when his serve lands and his forehand follows, yet his level can dip if he tries to finish points too quickly. In an open draw, that kind of volatility can still matter.
- Strengths: Serve, first-strike power, confidence on faster courts
- Concerns: Rushed shot selection, uneven patches within matches
- Opportunity: A draw stripped of several elite names
Ruud represents a different kind of threat. He is best known for his clay-court success, but he has built enough experience on hard courts to take advantage of a bracket that suddenly looks more forgiving than it did at the start of the week.
Young Players Are Using the Open Space
The upsets have also created room for a younger group to make a deeper run than many expected. João Fonseca delivered one of the most eye-catching results by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in a competitive match, while Arthur Fils and Tallon Griekspoor also earned wins that should boost their confidence heading into the next round.
Fonseca’s rise has been driven by power, clean timing, and a willingness to play boldly in big moments. He already looks comfortable in front of large crowds, which matters in a setting where tension often decides the last few games of a match.
Fils brings a different profile. He is explosive, athletic, and capable of changing pace quickly, all of which can be useful on Montreal’s courts. Griekspoor, meanwhile, may be the clearest example of a player who has turned a major win into real belief after coming back from a set down to beat Zverev 6-7, 6-2, 6-4.
For all three, the main advantage is psychological as much as tactical. Once a player proves he can beat a seed, the rest of the draw starts to feel more manageable.
Toronto’s Top Names Are Holding Firm
The women’s side has been steadier, with the biggest favorites largely surviving the opening rounds. Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, and Mirra Andreeva all advanced into the third round, keeping the top of the bracket packed with proven threats.
Sabalenka remains the benchmark. The world No. 1 began with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Moyuka Uchijima and extended her hard-court winning streak to 13 matches. On Toronto’s quicker courts, her serve and heavy groundstrokes can quickly put pressure on anyone across the net.
Rybakina also remains a major factor, even though her second-round performance was far from clean. She outlasted Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 in two hours and 33 minutes, finishing with 58 winners and 58 unforced errors. That line tells the story of her game: immense power, but enough inconsistency to keep opponents interested.
Pegula and Gauff both moved through difficult openers, while Andreeva produced the most emphatic win of the group by dismantling Karolina Pliskova 6-0, 6-2 in 54 minutes. At 19, she already plays with unusual calm, and her ability to absorb pace while redirecting it makes her a serious threat on any surface.
Leylah Fernandez Keeps Canadian Interest Alive
With the other Canadian hopes gone in singles, Leylah Fernandez is carrying the home crowd’s attention on her own. She beat Renata Zarazúa 6-2, 6-2 in front of the center-court crowd, breaking serve five times and losing her own serve only once.
Her next test is a tougher one against Elise Mertens, a seasoned opponent who knows how to stretch points and force errors. Fernandez will need to stay aggressive, step into the ball early, and use her forehand to open the court if she wants to keep the crowd invested deeper into the weekend.
That burden comes with both opportunity and pressure. She was already the final Canadian left in either singles draw before the round of 16, so every match she plays now carries added weight for local fans.
For Montreal, the disappointment has been sharper. Auger-Aliassime’s injury withdrawal and Gabriel Diallo’s retirement against Luciano Darderi ended the realistic Canadian men’s hopes earlier than expected. Diallo had beaten Kyrian Jacquet for his first main-draw win at the event before his run ended, leaving the men’s side without a home player in the last 16.
How Fans Can Follow the Tournament
Canadian coverage is being handled by Sportsnet and TVA Sports, both of which are carrying matches from Montreal and Toronto throughout the tournament. Their digital platforms also provide streaming access, which is useful because start times can shift depending on how long earlier matches last.
For viewers, the best approach is simple: check the latest order of play before the session begins. In a tournament with weather delays, three-set matches, and changing court assignments, the published schedule is always the most reliable guide.
The next two days should answer a few major questions. Can Shelton stay on course as the defending champion? Will Sabalenka and Rybakina continue to separate themselves from the rest of the women’s field? And can Fernandez extend Canada’s presence in a week that has already taken several unexpected turns?