The Canadian Open is in full swing in Montreal and Toronto as the third round gets underway. On the men's side, Juncheng Shang is confirming his status as the tournament's breakout star. On the women's side, the top seeds are finding their rhythm after a first week without major upsets.
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Shang, Montreal's unlikely hero
After saving five match points to eliminate tenth seed Andrey Rublev in the second round (7-5, 4-6, 7-6(5)), the Chinese player followed up with another marathon victory over Italy's Luciano Darderi, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(5), in the third round. The same scoreline in three sets, the same ability to find solutions in the biggest moments. At 21, Shang becomes the first Chinese man in the Open Era to reach the round of 16 at a Masters 1000 in Montreal, a run that is turning heads across the tour.
In the other third-round match played Thursday, Germany's Yannick Hanfmann dispatched Portugal's Nuno Borges in two tight tiebreaks, 7-6(5), 7-6(2). The men's draw remains wide open: with Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev both eliminated in the second round, no top-5 player remains in the bracket. Defending champion Ben Shelton, the third seed, and a confident Arthur Fils are the emerging favorites for the second week.
Toronto: the top seeds march on
In Toronto, the seeds largely held serve in the second round. World number one Aryna Sabalenka defeated Japan's Moyuka Uchijima 6-3, 6-3 to extend her hard-court winning streak to 13 consecutive matches. Iga Swiatek was even more clinical, dismantling Sara Bejlek 6-0, 6-3, while Elena Rybakina needed three sets to overcome Daria Kasatkina, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, in a match featuring 58 winners but also 58 unforced errors from the Kazakh.
The draw's breakout story remains Alexandra Eala, fresh off her Washington title, who defeated Alycia Parks 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 to reach the third round. Coco Gauff, the fourth seed, and Jessica Pegula are also through to the next stage.
Matches to watch
The third-round schedule promises several intriguing matchups. In Montreal, Arthur Fils faces Argentina's Mariano Navone, while Cameron Norrie takes on Alex de Minaur. In Toronto, Sabalenka meets Zhang Shuai and Swiatek faces Viktorija Golubic, two matches in which the favorites are expected to advance comfortably. The second week of the Canadian Open promises plenty of drama on both sides of the border.
