The National Bank Open presented by Rogers steps into its home stretch on Monday with quarterfinal action getting underway in both Toronto and Montreal.
On the men’s side in Montreal, younger, lesser-known players will be looking to make names for themselves by booking a semifinal berth in one of the sport’s premier non-Grand Slam events.
Meanwhile, in Toronto, established veterans will be taking to Centre Court, looking to reach the semis.
Here’s a look at some of the big storylines for Monday:
Swiatek’s tournament to lose?
Thanks to Ekaterina Alexandrova’s surprising three-set victory over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the women’s tournament appeared to open up in a big way for every competitor in Toronto.
However, one woman, in particular, seems primed to have a more open runway to the final — if not to just win it all.
Former world No. 1 Iga Swiatek fortuitously finds herself on the opposite end of the draw from who is, logically, the next-greatest threat to take the NBO in Toronto — Elena Rybakina, the world No. 2-ranked player.
Looking at Swiatek’s and Rybakina’s respective draws, the Polish player appears to have the easier road to the final. Whereas Rybakina will have to beat Naomi Osaka before potentially playing Coco Gauff, Swiatek can only see Alexandrova or Elina Svitolina if she gets to the semis, players she has a combined 10-5 career record against.
There’s plenty of parity and volatility on the WTA, as evidenced by Sabalenka’s defeat. Swiatek isn’t immune to this, but her path to the NBO final certainly looks clearer than Rybakina’s does.
The first step for Swiatek will be to take care of business against Diana Shnaider Monday night.
Jodar looking to continue breakout
Nineteen-year-old Rafael Jodar looks like he could be the next bright, young tennis talent to emerge from Spain.
Ranked 15th in the world, Jodar has already matched his best result in an ATP Masters 1000 event, reaching the quarterfinals in Montreal by defeating world No. 12 Jiri Lehecka.
Now he’s looking to climb even further, and will get his opportunity on Monday against France’s Arthur Fils, the No. 24-ranked player in the world. The two have a split record over the two times they’ve played in official competition.
Chan, Galarneau trying to keep run going
The Canadian duo of Duncan Chan and Alexis Galarneau has enjoyed a strong run to the NBO quarterfinals and will look to keep its strong play going against Marcelo Arevalo of Spain and Croatia’s Mate Pavic.
Seeded third in the men’s doubles tournament, Arevalo and Pavic are certainly the favourites heading into Monday afternoon’s affair, but the Canadian pair has already taken down a seeded team on its way to the semifinals.
BROADCAST SCHEDULE (all times ET)
Women’s: 7 p.m. (Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet+)
Men’s: 6 p.m. (Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet+)
MATCH SCHEDULE (all times ET)
Centre Court (starts at 7 p.m.)
[15] Diana Shnaider (RUS) vs. [7] Iga Swiatek (POL)
[16] Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS) vs. [9] Elina Svitolina (UKR)
Grandstand (starts at 5 p.m.)
[1] K. Siniakova (CZE) / S. Zhang (CHN) vs. S. Hunter (AUS) / D. Krawczyk (USA)
Centre Court (starts at 4 p.m.)
[WC] D. Chan (CAN) / A. Galarneau (CAN) vs. [3] M. Arevalo (ESA) / M. Pavic (CRO)
Not before 6 p.m.: [20] Rafael Jodar (ESP) vs. [18] Arthur Fils (FRA)
[19] Luciano Darderi (ITA) vs. [28] Brandon Nakashima (USA)
Rogers Court (starts at 4 p.m.)
T. Arribage (FRA) / A. Olivetti (FRA) vs. F. Marozsan (HUN) / D. Medvedev (RUS)
[1] H. Heliovaara (FIN) / H. Patten (GBR) vs. F. Cerundolo (ARG) / T-M. Etcheverry (ARG)
O. Luz (BRA) / R. Matos (BRA) vs. [7] G. Andreozzi (ARG) / M. Guinard (FRA)