National Bank Open 2026: Toronto restored the stars, Montreal found the future

Elena Rybakina spent much of Tuesday night trying to stop Naomi Osaka from taking control of the National Bank Open. Ben Shelton spent barely more than an hour making sure Jakub Mensik never had the same opportunity.

By the end of a decisive night in Toronto and Montreal, the final four in both singles tournaments were complete.

Rybakina produced the comeback of the night, recovering from a set and a break down to defeat Osaka 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 in a tense two-hour, 33-minute quarterfinal. Coco Gauff advanced without playing after Belinda Bencic withdrew because of a hip injury, setting up a Gauff-Rybakina semifinal.

The other Toronto semifinal had already been confirmed, with Iga Swiatek scheduled to face Elina Svitolina after their contrasting quarterfinal victories.

Montreal delivered four straight-set results but no shortage of significance.

Defending champion Shelton overwhelmed Mensik 6-3, 6-1 in one of his cleanest performances of the tournament. Learner Tien defeated Daniel Merida 6-3, 6-2 to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal.

Rafael Jodar continued an extraordinary breakthrough season by beating Arthur Fils 7-6(5), 6-3, while Brandon Nakashima eliminated Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-3.

The result is a semifinal lineup that captures almost everything this National Bank Open has become.

Toronto still contains four women with significant Grand Slam pedigree, different career trajectories and serious US Open ambitions.

Montreal has turned into a showcase for a generation trying to redefine the ATP hierarchy.

Readers who have followed the tournament with The Sports Encounter can revisit our previous National Bank Open report as Swiatek and Svitolina became the first confirmed semifinalists.

National Bank Open 2026: Tuesday Results at a Glance

Event	Winner	Opponent	Score
Toronto WTA Quarterfinal	Elena Rybakina	Naomi Osaka	4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4
Toronto WTA Quarterfinal	Coco Gauff	Belinda Bencic	Walkover, Bencic withdrew with hip injury
Montreal ATP Quarterfinal	Ben Shelton	Jakub Mensik	6-3, 6-1
Montreal ATP Quarterfinal	Learner Tien	Daniel Merida	6-3, 6-2
Montreal ATP Quarterfinal	Rafael Jodar	Arthur Fils	7-6(5), 6-3
Montreal ATP Quarterfinal	Brandon Nakashima	Luciano Darderi	6-2, 6-3

National Bank Open 2026 Semifinals

Tournament	Semifinal
Toronto WTA	Iga Swiatek vs Elina Svitolina
Toronto WTA	Coco Gauff vs Elena Rybakina
Montreal ATP	Ben Shelton vs Learner Tien
Montreal ATP	Rafael Jodar vs Brandon Nakashima

Rybakina Turns an Osaka Victory Into Her Own

Naomi Osaka appeared to have solved the biggest question surrounding her Toronto quarterfinal.

She had the lead.

More importantly, she had control.

Osaka broke Rybakina in the opening game and protected the advantage to win the first set 6-4.

The pattern continued in the second.

Osaka moved ahead 4-2 and was effectively two games from reaching the semifinals in her increasingly encouraging North American hard-court campaign.

Rybakina refused to allow the match to disappear.

The second seed stayed close enough to force Osaka to keep winning points under pressure, recovered the break and eventually took the set into a tiebreak.

That became the first major turning point.

Rybakina won the breaker 7-5.

A match Osaka had controlled was suddenly level.

Four Saved Break Points Changed the Decider

The deciding set highlighted one of the most important differences between Rybakina when she is merely striking the ball well and Rybakina when she looks capable of winning a title.

She defended under pressure.

Osaka generated four break points in the third set.

Rybakina saved all four.

She then broke Osaka in consecutive service games and transformed survival into control.

The comeback was complete after two hours and 33 minutes.

For a player whose biggest weapon is normally discussed in terms of first serves and rapid baseline strikes, Rybakina’s quarterfinal was built just as much around resilience.

She had already survived another difficult contest earlier in the tournament, coming back from two breaks down in the deciding set against Liudmila Samsonova.

The pattern is becoming significant.

Rybakina is finding ways through matches even when the first version of her game is not enough.

That is often what separates a tournament contender from a tournament champion.

Osaka Leaves Toronto With More Encouragement Than the Result Suggests

Osaka will be frustrated because she was close enough to see the semifinal.

The defeat should still be evaluated within the wider direction of her tournament.

She defeated Leylah Fernandez in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals and then pushed one of the most dangerous hard-court players in the world for more than two and a half hours.

The former world No. 1 also showed long stretches of the first-strike tennis that once made her the dominant hard-court player in women’s tennis.

Her serve created opportunities.

Her return position placed Rybakina under immediate pressure.

Her baseline acceleration allowed her to establish the early lead.

What she could not do was finish.

That distinction matters with the US Open approaching.

Osaka’s level is becoming increasingly competitive against the strongest players again. The next step is converting control into complete victories when an opponent refuses to go away.

The Sports Encounter previously examined Osaka’s progress in our Sunday National Bank Open wrap-up after she defeated Fernandez to reach the last eight.

Gauff Reaches the Semifinals Without Hitting a Ball

Coco Gauff experienced a completely different quarterfinal.

She never had to play it.

Belinda Bencic withdrew because of a hip injury, sending the fourth-seeded American directly into the semifinals.

Walkovers create an unusual competitive equation.

Gauff receives valuable recovery time late in a demanding WTA 1000 tournament, but she also loses a competitive match that could have helped sharpen her game before facing Rybakina.

The physical benefit is obvious.

The rhythm question is less certain.

Gauff had not dropped a set before the scheduled quarterfinal and had looked increasingly comfortable in Toronto.

She is now into the 16th WTA 1000 semifinal of her career and remains in pursuit of her first title of the 2026 season.

Gauff vs Rybakina Is Now a Test of Rest Against Rhythm

The second Toronto semifinal brings together two players arriving under completely different circumstances.

Gauff will be rested.

Rybakina will be battle-tested.

One has received an additional recovery day without competitive stress.

The other just survived one of the most physically and emotionally demanding matches of her tournament.

Neither condition automatically creates an advantage.

Gauff’s movement gives her the ability to make Rybakina play additional shots, particularly when the Kazakh is unable to dictate immediately behind her serve.

Rybakina’s task will be to prevent those rallies from becoming extended defensive sequences.

Her best path is familiar: powerful first serving, aggressive first-ball tennis and enough depth on the return to stop Gauff from controlling neutral exchanges.

Their only previous tour-level meeting also came in Toronto, where Gauff won in three sets in 2022.

Four years later, the matchup returns with a place in a WTA 1000 final at stake.

Swiatek vs Svitolina Completes a Powerful Toronto Final Four

The opposite semifinal was established one day earlier.

Iga Swiatek defeated Diana Shnaider 6-2, 6-1, while Elina Svitolina recovered from losing the opening set to beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 3-6, 6-0, 6-3.

Those results were covered in detail in The Sports Encounter’s report on Swiatek and Svitolina reaching the Toronto semifinals.

The final four now contains Swiatek, Svitolina, Gauff and Rybakina.

That gives the women’s tournament a remarkably strong closing lineup considering how dramatically the draw changed when Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula were eliminated.

The exits of the top seed and defending champion were central to our analysis of the weekend that reshaped both National Bank Open draws.

Shelton Produces the Performance Montreal Had Been Waiting For

Ben Shelton did not simply beat Jakub Mensik.

He removed almost every route through which Mensik could have made the quarterfinal competitive.

The defending champion won 6-3, 6-1 in approximately 73 minutes.

He struck 18 winners.

Only three unforced errors appeared beside them.

For a player whose aggressive tennis naturally carries risk, that ratio explains the match better than almost any other statistic.

Shelton was attacking without becoming reckless.

His return game repeatedly placed Mensik under pressure, while his groundstrokes allowed him to control points before the Czech could establish his own power patterns.

He broke early in the second set with a backhand winner down the line and never allowed Mensik to recover.

Shelton described himself afterward as increasingly in control of the ball on hard courts.

The evidence supported him.

The Defending Champion Suddenly Looks Like the Man to Beat

Montreal began with uncertainty around its leading contenders.

Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic were absent. Carlos Alcaraz was unavailable. Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev and Taylor Fritz disappeared earlier than expected.

The tournament gradually lost many of the players who normally provide Masters 1000 draws with hierarchy.

Shelton survived.

He is now the only Top 10 player remaining.

He has also won all four of his matches in straight sets.

His record at the Canadian Masters has moved to 12-2, including last year’s title run.

That changes his position.

Shelton entered Montreal as defending champion.

He enters the semifinals as the established player everyone else now has to remove.

Learner Tien Makes His First Masters 1000 Semifinal

Learner Tien initially gave Daniel Merida an opening.

He lost serve in the first game.

Then he effectively shut the door.

Tien recovered quickly and did not lose serve again, winning 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 12 minutes.

He converted four of eight break points and reached the first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal of his career.

The achievement fits the wider pattern of his season.

Tien has increasingly demonstrated that his rise is built on more than youth or surprise value. He redirects pace intelligently, understands court geometry and rarely needs to overpower an opponent to control a match.

His semifinal against Shelton will bring a much more severe test.

There is also an intriguing head-to-head detail.

Tien leads Shelton 2-0.

He defeated him earlier this year at Indian Wells.

That gives the semifinal an immediate tactical complication.

Shelton may be the defending champion and higher-ranked player, but Tien enters knowing he has already found ways to beat him.

Shelton vs Tien: Power Against Absorption

The all-American semifinal could become one of Montreal’s most interesting stylistic matches.

Shelton wants to shorten points.

Tien is comfortable extending them.

Shelton serves bigger and can finish points quickly with his forehand.

Tien’s ability to redirect power means simply hitting harder will not necessarily solve the matchup.

The pressure will fall on Shelton to serve efficiently and prevent Tien from repeatedly starting rallies from neutral positions.

Tien, meanwhile, must find enough first serves to stop Shelton from attacking his second delivery.

If the match becomes a sequence of explosive first strikes, Shelton should have the advantage.

If it becomes a problem-solving contest over longer exchanges, Tien has already demonstrated why he can be dangerous.

Rafael Jodar’s Breakthrough Is Becoming One of the Stories of 2026

Rafael Jodar is 19 years old.

He started the season ranked No. 168.

He is now one victory away from an ATP Masters 1000 final.

His 7-6(5), 6-3 victory over Arthur Fils continued a rise that has accelerated almost every week of the North American summer.

The Spaniard had opportunities to lose control of the quarterfinal.

He led 4-1 in the first set before Fils fought back.

Rain then interrupted the match with Fils serving to stay in the set.

Jodar returned and won the tiebreak.

He also lost an early break advantage during the second set.

Again, he recovered.

That ability to remain composed after momentum shifts may be the most encouraging part of his development.

Young players frequently possess the shots required for tour-level tennis before they develop the emotional discipline necessary to survive difficult sequences.

Jodar is showing both.

Jodar Makes Masters 1000 History for His Generation

The victory made Jodar the first man born in 2006 or later to reach an ATP Masters 1000 semifinal.

It was also his fourth ATP Tour semifinal of the season after Marrakech, Barcelona and Washington.

His live ranking has climbed to approximately No. 11, an extraordinary rise from No. 168 at the beginning of the year.

A title in Montreal could potentially carry him into the Top 10, depending on other ranking outcomes.

This is no longer merely a promising teenager accumulating experience.

Jodar is beginning to alter the rankings around him.

His Toronto and Montreal story also connects directly to his run in Washington, where he reached the Mubadala DC Open final before losing to Taylor Fritz. The Sports Encounter chronicled that breakthrough in our report on Fritz’s victory over Jodar in the Washington championship match.

Instead of experiencing the drop in level that often follows a first major breakthrough, Jodar has immediately gone deeper at an even bigger tournament.

Nakashima Quietly Produces His Biggest Masters Run

Brandon Nakashima’s route to the semifinals has attracted less noise.

His tennis has not required much.

The 28th seed defeated Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-3 to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal.

Nakashima struck 11 aces and repeatedly prevented Darderi from gaining control of the baseline.

He broke in the fourth game of the opening set and then closed it with another break.

Darderi resisted longer in the second but eventually surrendered serve in the penultimate game.

Nakashima finished the match with the type of understated reaction that has often accompanied his progress.

The result itself was anything but understated.

He is projected to move to a new career-high ranking around No. 25.

At 25, Nakashima was remarkably the oldest member of Montreal’s eight-man quarterfinal lineup.

Montreal’s Entire Quarterfinal Generation Was Born in the 2000s

That statistic may ultimately become one of the defining historical details of the men’s tournament.

For the first time at an ATP Tour event of this level, all eight Montreal quarterfinalists were born in the 2000s.

The list included Shelton, Mensik, Tien, Merida, Jodar, Fils, Nakashima and Darderi.

This was not a symbolic appearance by one or two young players alongside familiar veterans.

The entire final eight belonged to a new generation.

The Sports Encounter has tracked that transformation throughout the tournament. Earlier rounds saw Zverev, Medvedev and Fritz eliminated while younger players continued advancing, a trend examined in our National Bank Open report on the collapse of several leading men’s seeds.

The semifinals have now confirmed that the upheaval was structural rather than temporary.

Jodar vs Nakashima Is an Opportunity Neither Expected to Waste

Neither Rafael Jodar nor Brandon Nakashima has previously reached a Masters 1000 final.

One of them will now do so.

They have never played each other at tour level.

Jodar brings greater momentum and perhaps more natural unpredictability.

Nakashima brings more years of tour experience and a cleaner serving structure.

The American is particularly effective when he protects his first serve and keeps his groundstrokes compact.

Jodar has repeatedly shown that he can disrupt opponents by changing direction early and remaining aggressive through pressure moments.

It may become the semifinal where experience has to solve momentum.

Rain Made Montreal Harder, but the Young Players Handled It

Tuesday’s quarterfinals were already a day late after rain wiped out Monday’s singles program.

Further rain interrupted Jodar and Fils.

The schedule therefore demanded more than tennis.

Players had to manage uncertainty, delayed preparation and the possibility of compressed recovery between the quarterfinals, semifinals and final.

For young players experiencing the final rounds of a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time, those conditions could easily have created instability.

Instead, all four quarterfinals ended in straight sets.

That reduces some of the physical burden heading into Wednesday.

It also gives the tournament four semifinalists who should have enough energy to produce high-level tennis despite the disrupted schedule.

The Tournament’s Original Hierarchy Has Almost Completely Disappeared

It is useful to remember how different the National Bank Open looked when the draws were released.

Toronto was built around Sabalenka, Rybakina, Pegula, Gauff and Swiatek.

Montreal still expected leading seeds to control the closing rounds despite several withdrawals.

The Sports Encounter’s original National Bank Open 2026 preview examined those contenders and the questions they carried into Canada.

Some have answered them.

Others never reached the stage where answers were possible.

Sabalenka and Pegula are gone.

Zverev, Medvedev and Fritz are gone.

Shelton has inherited the status of established favorite in Montreal.

Swiatek, Gauff, Rybakina and Svitolina have restored recognizable star power to Toronto.

The two events have therefore arrived at similar stages through completely different routes.

The US Open Implications Are Becoming Impossible to Ignore

Every Canadian result now sits inside a larger question.

What does it mean for New York?

Rybakina has shown she can recover from losing positions.

Gauff is accumulating wins without dropping sets and now receives additional recovery time.

Swiatek has produced one of her cleanest WTA 1000 performances of the season.

Svitolina has won ten consecutive matches at this level.

Osaka leaves without a semifinal but with further evidence that her hard-court game can trouble elite opponents.

Montreal’s implications may be even greater.

Shelton is building the exact type of hard-court confidence that can carry into a Grand Slam.

Tien is moving deeper into territory he has never occupied before.

Jodar may soon arrive at the US Open as a Top 10 player.

Nakashima is producing the strongest Masters run of his career.

The wider men’s landscape also contains health uncertainty around several leading players. Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal from Cincinnati because of a knee issue has become an important part of the US Open discussion, which The Sports Encounter examined in our analysis of Sinner’s disrupted preparation for New York.

Five Biggest Stories From Tuesday Night

Story	Why It Matters
Rybakina escapes Osaka	She recovered from a set and 4-2 down and saved four break points in the deciding set.
Gauff advances by walkover	The American gains valuable rest before a demanding semifinal against Rybakina.
Shelton dominates Mensik	The defending champion produced 18 winners against only three unforced errors.
Jodar makes history	The 19-year-old became the first man born in 2006 or later to reach a Masters 1000 semifinal.
Tien and Nakashima break through	Both Americans reached their first Masters 1000 semifinals.

TSE Analysis: Toronto Has Restored the Stars, Montreal Has Found the Future

The most interesting feature of the National Bank Open is no longer the number of upsets.

It is what emerged after them.

Toronto lost the world No. 1 and the defending champion before the semifinals, yet its final four still contains Swiatek, Gauff, Rybakina and Svitolina.

Those four bring Grand Slam titles, major finals, No. 1 experience, established rivalries and genuine US Open significance.

The women’s tournament survived its chaos and rebuilt a heavyweight closing stage.

Montreal did the opposite.

It embraced the disruption.

Shelton is only 23 and somehow feels like the veteran favorite.

Tien is 20.

Jodar is 19.

Nakashima, at 25, was the oldest player among the quarterfinalists.

The men’s tournament has stopped asking which established star will survive.

It is asking which member of the next generation is ready to take ownership.

That distinction gives Wednesday’s semifinals two completely different kinds of tension.

Toronto is about proven players trying to reinforce their place near the top.

Montreal is about players trying to establish that place for the first time.

What Happens Next at the National Bank Open?

The four singles semifinals are now set.

Toronto Women’s Semifinals

• Iga Swiatek vs Elina Svitolina
• Coco Gauff vs Elena Rybakina

Montreal Men’s Semifinals

• Ben Shelton vs Learner Tien
• Rafael Jodar vs Brandon Nakashima

Official women’s results and tournament information are available through the WTA National Bank Open scores page.

Official Montreal results, player information and the latest schedule are available through the ATP Tour’s National Bank Open results page.

For continuing analysis of the tournament, US Open preparation and the wider tennis season, visit The Sports Encounter’s tennis section.

Final Verdict: Four Matches Changed the Meaning of Montreal

Tuesday night completed more than a quarterfinal round.

It clarified what the 2026 National Bank Open has become.

Rybakina survived a match Osaka was close to winning.

Gauff received an unexpected route into the semifinals.

Shelton played like a defending champion who understands that the draw has opened around him.

Tien reached unfamiliar territory without looking overwhelmed by it.

Nakashima quietly produced a career milestone.

Jodar made history while continuing a ranking rise that barely seemed imaginable when the season began.

The Toronto semifinals now offer four established women capable of winning major tournaments.

The Montreal semifinals offer four men representing where the sport may be heading next.

That contrast is the strongest story of the tournament entering its final two days.

The National Bank Open began as another stop on the road to the US Open.

It has become something more revealing.

Toronto is showing which established contenders are finding their best tennis at the right time.

Montreal is showing us who might soon join them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who reached the National Bank Open 2026 women’s semifinals?

Iga Swiatek, Elina Svitolina, Coco Gauff and Elena Rybakina are the four Toronto semifinalists.

Who will Elena Rybakina play in the semifinal?

Rybakina will face Coco Gauff for a place in the Toronto final.

What was the Rybakina vs Osaka score?

Rybakina defeated Naomi Osaka 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 after recovering from a set and a break down.

Why did Coco Gauff advance without playing?

Belinda Bencic withdrew from their quarterfinal because of a hip injury, giving Gauff a walkover into the semifinals.

Who reached the Montreal men’s semifinals?

Ben Shelton, Learner Tien, Rafael Jodar and Brandon Nakashima reached the semifinals.

Who will Ben Shelton play next?

Shelton will face fellow American Learner Tien in the semifinals.

What was the Shelton vs Mensik score?

Shelton defeated Jakub Mensik 6-3, 6-1 in approximately 73 minutes.

Who will Rafael Jodar play in the semifinal?

Jodar will face Brandon Nakashima for a place in the Montreal final.

What record did Rafael Jodar set?

Jodar became the first man born in 2006 or later to reach an ATP Masters 1000 semifinal.

What was the Jodar vs Fils score?

Jodar defeated Arthur Fils 7-6(5), 6-3.

Is this Learner Tien’s first Masters 1000 semifinal?

Yes. Tien reached his first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal by defeating Daniel Merida 6-3, 6-2.

Is this Brandon Nakashima’s first Masters 1000 semifinal?

Yes. Nakashima reached his first Masters 1000 semifinal after defeating Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-3.