The race for the final eight at the 2026 National Bank Open is now the main story in Canadian tennis. Montreal has been full of early exits on the men’s side, while Toronto still features a deep women’s draw with several top names alive.
Saturday, August 8, and Sunday, August 9, will split the round of 16 across both cities. By the end of the weekend, only eight men and eight women will remain in contention for the title.
That combination of chaos in Montreal, stability in Toronto, and local interest in Leylah Fernandez makes this a key stretch of the tournament.
What the weekend schedule looks like
The round of 16 will be spread across two days, with matches held on Saturday, August 8, and Sunday, August 9, 2026.
In Montreal, action will continue at IGA Stadium. Day sessions on the main court are set for 12:30 p.m., and night sessions are scheduled for 6:00 p.m.. In Toronto, the main court day sessions begin at 12:30 p.m., while evening play starts at 7:00 p.m..
Each city will host eight singles matches across the two days. Winners will move on to the quarterfinals, which are set for Monday, August 10, and Tuesday, August 11.
Exact match order is released the day before play, since earlier matches can affect the rest of the schedule.
Montreal has become wide open
The men’s draw lost several of its biggest names almost immediately. Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, and Andrey Rublev were all eliminated in their opening matches, while Félix Auger-Aliassime withdrew because of a back injury. By the end of the second round, six of the top 10 seeds were already out.
That has made Montreal a far more open event than most expected.
Ben Shelton is still one of the strongest contenders. The defending champion opened with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Jenson Brooksby, and his serve and attacking style fit the quick conditions at IGA Stadium very well.
Casper Ruud is another player worth watching. The Norwegian handled Juan Manuel Cerúndolo 6-1, 6-2 in his first match and now has a realistic path in a draw that has lost much of its early structure.
Who can capitalize now?
Shelton arrives with the pressure that comes with being the defending champion. He won the 2025 edition for the first Masters 1000 title of his career, using his power, energy, and serve to beat higher-ranked opponents.
This year’s setting is different. He is no longer seen only as an emerging threat. He is now one of the players expected to stay in the tournament deep into the week.
With Zverev, Medvedev, and Fritz already gone, Shelton’s route looks more manageable. Even so, he will need to stay patient and avoid the short lapses that can happen when he tries to finish points too quickly.
The upheaval has also helped younger players. João Fonseca produced one of the standout results by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in a tight match. Arthur Fils advanced with a three-set win over Zachary Svajda, and Tallon Griekspoor shocked Zverev by coming from a set down to win 6-7, 6-2, 6-4.
For all three, the confidence from those results could matter just as much as the ranking points.
Canadian hopes in Montreal ended sooner than expected. Auger-Aliassime never got to play his opening singles match, and Gabriel Diallo’s run stopped after a strong start. Diallo beat Kyrian Jacquet for his first main-draw win in Montreal, but he later retired against Luciano Darderi when the Italian led 6-4, 2-3.
That means no Canadian man reached the round of 16, though the crowd still has several fan favorites to follow, including Shelton, Ruud, Fonseca, Fils, and Griekspoor.
Toronto’s top women keep moving
The women’s draw has been much steadier. Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, and Mirra Andreeva all opened with wins and moved into the third round.
Sabalenka remains the player to beat. The world No. 1 started with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Moyuka Uchijima, extending her hard-court winning streak to 13 matches. Her power game is especially dangerous in Toronto, where the conditions reward first-strike tennis.
Rybakina is chasing her best level. The second seed needed three sets to get past Daria Kasatkina, winning 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 after 2 hours and 33 minutes. She struck 58 winners but also made 58 unforced errors, which showed how high her level can be and how quickly it can swing.
Gauff and Pegula are also still very much in the picture. Gauff beat qualifier Kayla Day 6-2, 7-5 and used her speed and defense to control the biggest moments. Pegula had to work harder after dropping the first set to Magdalena Frech, but she recovered well and won 3-6, 6-3, 6-1. Her record in Canada matters too, since she won this tournament in both 2023 and 2024.
Andreeva may have delivered the clearest statement of all. The Roland Garros champion overwhelmed former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova 6-0, 6-2 in just 54 minutes. At 19, she is already playing with impressive composure, and her quick adjustment to hard courts is a warning sign for the rest of the field.
Fernandez carries the home crowd
Leylah Fernandez is now the last Canadian left in singles. She moved into that role by beating 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 Elise Mertens, a seasoned opponent who can extend rallies and force extra decisions on every point.
Fernandez will need to stay aggressive. When she steps inside the baseline early and uses her forehand to open the court, she can trouble almost anyone in the draw.
The pressure is real, though. She was already the final Canadian remaining in singles before her first match of the tournament, so every round now carries added weight for the home fans.
The Canadian broadcast coverage is available on Sportsnet, which carries the tournament action from both cities across its television and digital platforms. TVA Sports also offers Canadian coverage of the event, with match times subject to change based on earlier results and weather.
A decisive weekend for both draws
The round of 16 should reveal which players are truly positioned to win the 2026 National Bank Open.
Montreal has already produced a draw full of surprises, and that gives Shelton, Ruud, Fonseca, Fils, and Griekspoor a real opening to push deeper.
Toronto looks more predictable on paper, but Sabalenka, Rybakina, Pegula, Gauff, and Andreeva have all shown enough to remain strong title threats.
For Canadian fans, Fernandez is the biggest storyline left. A win this weekend would keep local interest alive in a tournament where the men’s side has already lost its home favorites and the women’s side still features plenty of heavy hitters.
By Sunday night, the field will be down to the last eight in each draw, and this edition may have its defining moments well before the quarterfinals begin.