Britain's Cameron Norrie saw his run at the National Bank Open come to an abrupt end in the round of 16, bowing out after a 6-2, 7-6 (10-8) loss to France's rising star Arthur Fils on the hard courts of Montreal. The Frenchman, seeded 18th in the tournament, started the match with a clear advantage, using his potent serve to dominate the early exchanges and cruising to a comfortable first‑set victory without much resistance from the British challenger. When the second set began, Norrie raised his intensity, matching Fils shot for shot and forcing the encounter into a tightly contested tiebreak.
Despite carving out two set‑point chances, the British player could not capitalise when it mattered most. Fils held his nerve, clinching the tiebreak 10-8 and sealing the match after a total of one hour and forty‑three minutes of play. Just a round earlier, Norrie had produced a memorable upset by eliminating the third‑seeded Australian Alex de Minaur.
Trailing after a match point, Norrie rallied spectacularly, winning eleven of the next thirteen games to turn a 5-7, 7-6 (7-5) deficit into a 6-1 final set triumph. That victory propelled him back to the top of the British rankings, displacing Arthur Fery as the nation's number one. However, the momentum from that dramatic win proved insufficient to overcome the hungry French teenager. Fils' progression sets up a quarter‑final clash with Spain's Rafael Jodar, who himself produced an upset by dispatching the eighth seed Jiri Lehecka in straight sets.
Elsewhere in the draw, American Brandon Nakashima and Italy's Luciano Darderi also advanced, each enduring grueling three‑set battles to overcome Arthur Rinderknech and Nuno Borges respectively. In the women's draw, world number one Aryna Sabalenka suffered a surprising setback in her preparation for the US Open.
The Belarusian, a four‑time Grand Slam champion and reigning US Open title holder, was defeated 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-4 by Russia's 16th‑seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova in the fourth round of the Canadian Open in Toronto. The match stretched nearly two and a half hours, with Alexandrova fighting back from a set down to claim a hard‑won quarter‑final berth.
Sabalenka started strongly, breaking early in the opening set, but Alexandrova responded with resilient play, pushing the set to a tiebreak which she captured, taking the lead. The Belarusian rebounded in the second set, breaking for a 4-3 advantage and eventually serving out the set to level the match. The decisive third set saw Alexandrova maintain her aggressive shot‑making, while Sabalenka's unforced error count rose sharply.
At 4-5, Sabalenka saved two match points, yet a double fault on the third point handed the victory to Alexandrova. After the match, Alexandrova explained her mindset: "I tried to treat every point as if it were the last one because against her you don't get many chances. I didn't think about the score, just hit the ball." She added, "I'm thrilled to have won; after the second set I thought my chances were gone, but I kept fighting." Alexandrova's win sets up a semi‑final encounter with Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, who advanced after a straight‑sets victory over American eighth seed Amanda Anisimova, 6-2, 6-4. The women's side of the tournament continues to deliver dramatic storylines as players vie for a coveted spot in the final.
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