National Bank Open
Both National Bank Open finals are played on Friday, and they could hardly be less alike. In Montreal, a defending champion meets a first-time Masters 1000 finalist. In Toronto, two major champions meet for the thirteenth time with the series dead level at 6-6.
Toronto: Rybakina v Świątek, and a Rivalry at 6-6
Elena Rybakina and Iga Świątek have played twelve times and won six each. Their head-to-head record splits along surface lines — Świątek leads 4-3 on outdoor hard, Rybakina 2-1 on clay, and they are level indoors — and Rybakina took the most recent meeting, 7-6, 6-1 in the Australian Open quarter-finals in January.
Rybakina got here the hard way, dropping the opening set to Coco Gauff before winning 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. That match levelled a head-to-head which had stood at 1-0 to Gauff since 2022, and it followed a three-set quarter-final against Naomi Osaka — she has spent a long week on court.
Świątek reached her first Toronto final by beating Elina Svitolina 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, and has been the most convincing player in the draw across the fortnight: 64 minutes to dismiss Diana Shnaider in the quarter-finals, and a recovery from a set down against Marta Kostyuk before that. She is also the defending champion at the Cincinnati Open, which begins as this tournament ends.
Montreal: Shelton Defends, Nakashima Arrives
Ben Shelton is one win from becoming the first man to successfully defend this title in some years, and he is the last of the pre-tournament fancies standing in a draw that lost Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz before a ball was struck and then top seed Alexander Zverev in the second round. He has not dropped a set since the last 16, coming through João Fonseca, Jakub Menšík 6-3, 6-1 and Learner Tien 6-2, 6-3.
Brandon Nakashima is the story of the week. The San Diego right-hander, who turned 25 during the tournament, had never been beyond the third round of a Masters 1000 before Montreal. He has now beaten Arthur Rinderknech, Luciano Darderi and — in the semi-final — Rafael Jódar 7-6(3), 6-4, to reach a first Masters final at the twenty-seventh attempt. A career high of World No. 29 in May 2025 undersells where a run like this can take him.
The caveat is honest: Nakashima’s half of the draw is the one the seeds vacated. The counter is that he has still had to win five matches, and his flat, consistent baseline game is precisely the kind that punishes opponents who cannot find free points.
How to Watch
In the UK both finals are live on Sky Sports Tennis and NOW. Our how to watch guide carries the full schedule, and the tour moves straight on to the Cincinnati Open, whose main draw is already under way.
More National Bank Open Coverage
- National Bank Open hub — the full guide
- Semi-final preview · Betting tips · Prize money
- Past champions · All head-to-head records
- Every tournament we cover · 2026 tennis calendar
18+ | Please Gamble Responsibly | BeGambleAware.org