Britain's Cameron Norrie saw his campaign at the National Bank Open come to an abrupt end in the round of 16, succumbing to France's rising star Arthur Fils with a scoreline of 6-2, 7-6 (10-8) in Montreal. The French teenager, seeded 18th, started the match with authority, leveraging his big serve to dominate the opening set and close it out comfortably without much resistance from the British contender. When the second set began, Norrie raised his intensity, matching Fils shot for shot and forcing the contest into a tense tiebreak.
Despite carving out two opportunities to clinch the set, Norrie could not capitalize at the crucial moments. Fils, displaying composure under pressure, edged the tiebreak and sealed the victory after a total match duration of one hour and 43 minutes. Norrie's journey to this stage had been impressive.
In the previous round he produced a memorable upset over third seed Alex de Minaur. After trailing and facing match point, Norrie turned the tide dramatically, winning 11 of the next 13 games to claim a 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 triumph. That win not only propelled him into the last 16 but also restored his position as the British No.
1, overtaking Arthur Fery. Unfortunately, he could not sustain that momentum against the hungry Frenchman.
Fils' next challenge will be a quarter‑final clash with Spain's Rafael Jodar, who earned his place by dispatching eighth seed Jiri Lehecka in straight sets. The tournament also saw other notable performances: American Brandon Nakashima and Italy's Luciano Darderi both survived grueling three‑set battles to advance, defeating Arthur Rinderknech and Nuno Borges respectively.
In the women's draw, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka suffered a surprising setback in her US Open preparation.
The Belarusian, a four‑time Grand Slam champion and reigning US Open title‑holder, was edged out in the fourth round of the Canadian Open in Toronto by Russia's 16th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova. Alexandrova secured a 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-4 win after nearly two and a half hours of hard‑fought tennis, booking her spot in the quarter‑finals. Sabalenka started the match strongly, breaking early in the first set, but Alexandrova rallied to force a tiebreak, which she claimed to take the lead.
The Belarusian responded in the second set, breaking for a 4-3 advantage and eventually serving out to level the match. However, in the decisive third set, Alexandrova's aggressive shot‑making and reduced error count proved decisive.
Sabalenka saved two match points while serving at 4-5, but a double fault on the third point handed the victory to Alexandrova. Reflecting on her performance, Alexandrova said, "I tried to treat every point as if it were the last one because against her you don't get many chances.
I tried not to think about the score, just hit the ball and stay focused." She added, "I'm thrilled to have won, especially after the second set when I thought my chances were gone." Alexandrova will now face Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in the semi‑finals, after Svitolina dispatched eighth‑seed Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 6-4. The tournament continues to deliver high‑quality tennis across both the ATP and WTA tours, with live coverage available on Sky Sports, NOW, and the Sky Sports app. Overall, the Canadian Open has produced a mix of expected outcomes and surprising upsets. Norrie's early exit after a strong showing against de Minaur highlights the depth of competition on the men's side, while Sabalenka's loss underscores that even the top‑ranked players can be vulnerable on any given day.
Fans can look forward to the upcoming quarter‑finals and semi‑finals, where emerging talents like Fils and Alexandrova will aim to continue their impressive runs, and established stars will look to reassert their dominance as the tournament moves toward its climax.