British No. 2 Cameron Norrie comfortably advanced at the National Bank Open in Montreal, earning a third‑round clash with Alex De Minaur, the newly married husband of Katie Boulter. After ending a six‑match losing streak with a semi‑final run in Los Cabos the week before, Norrie built on his opening win over Camilo Ugo Carabelli by dispatching Peru's Ignacio Buse in straight sets.
Ranked four places below the world No. 33 Buse, Norrie delivered a solid 6-3 6-3 triumph in just 89 minutes. He saved three of the four break points he faced and converted four of his eleven opportunities on serve. Analyst Annabel Croft praised Norrie's performance on Sky Sports Tennis, noting, "He was simply more experienced, with a richer game than his opponent.
He applied pressure at the right moments and defended with depth, while also moving forward and asking a lot of questions. His serve dipped a little in the second set, but he quickly found his rhythm again." In his first tour‑level appearance since Wimbledon, 19‑year‑old Brazilian João Fonseca produced a stylish comeback against former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas, winning 7-6 (7-3) 7-5. Fonseca reflected on his growth, saying, "Last year I would have lost my mind in a situation like this. I'm a more mature João now.
After a couple of weeks without playing I knew I would be a little tense serving for the match, but I felt good, hit solid returns and put pressure on him. That break at 5-5 was crucial." He added that competing against top players such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton and Novak Djokovic over the past two years has sharpened his mental resilience, which he now regards as one of his biggest weapons. The tournament saw several upsets. Shortly after No.
2 seed Felix Auger‑Aliassime withdrew, top seed and Wimbledon finalist Alexander Zverev was eliminated by Tallon Griekspoor, who won 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 6-4. Griekspoor explained his confidence: "I've been working harder than ever lately and have reached a good level in practice over the past couple of weeks. I felt it was only a matter of time before I could pull off a win like this, especially against a player like Sascha." Dutch compatriot Botic van de Zandschulp also caused a stir by beating Daniil Medvedev 6-3 7-6 (7-5).
It was Medvedev's first ATP Tour match since his third‑round exit at Wimbledon. Van de Zandschulp said, "I had never beaten him before, but today I had to step out of my comfort zone and change my approach, and I think I did it well." British No.
5 Jacob Fearnley, who entered the main draw through qualifying, was knocked out in the second round by world No. 17 Jakub Mensik, falling 6-3 3-6 6-3. Home favorite Ben Shelton looked poised to defend his title after a 6-3 7-5 victory over Jenson Brooksby.
Shelton took the first set comfortably, but Brooksby surged in the second, leading 4-1 before Shelton raised his level, broke twice and closed the set 7-5, avoiding a deciding third set. Shelton will meet 31st seed Zizou Bergs of Belgium in the round of 32.
Casper Ruud, sporting a fresh haircut, dominated Juan Manuel Cerún-dolo 6-1 6-2, showcasing why he remains a threat on hard courts. In a surprising result, Thiago Agustín Tirante upset Taylor Fritz 7-5 6-3. Fritz appeared physically limited after having lifted his biggest title at the ATP 500 event in Washington just four days earlier. Across the border in Toronto, American star Coco Gauff recorded her first win since Wimbledon, defeating Kayla Day 6-2 7-5.
Gauff joked after the match, "I saw the new Spider‑Man film. I was going to make a big spoiler joke, but I decided not to." Elena Rybakina opened her campaign with a hard‑fought win over Daria Kasatkina, 6-3 5-7 6-4, advancing to the third round despite an erratic service game. Rybakina blasted 58 winners, including 15 aces, but also committed 58 unforced errors and 16 double faults. She will next face Ann Li, who beat Canada's Kayla Cross 7-6 (7-2) 6-3.
Overall, the National Bank Open in Montreal has delivered a mix of expected triumphs and startling upsets, leaving the draw wide open as the tournament moves deeper into the week. Fans can continue to follow live action on Sky Sports, the NOW streaming service, or the Sky Sports app, which offers more than 50% additional live sport coverage at no extra cost for subscribers.