Day 6 in Toronto delivered one of the most entertaining sessions of the week, with fans treated to some tightly contested battles.
Ben Shelton headlined the action with a gutsy win over American rival Brandon Nakashima, needing five match points and a third-set tiebreak to get it done. The 4th seed’s explosive shotmaking came through when it mattered most, pushing him into his third Masters 1000 round of 16 this season.
Taylor Fritz, meanwhile, put in his cleanest performance of the tournament, dispatching Canadian Gabriel Diallo with minimal fuss.
Elsewhere, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina kept up his hot summer form, brushing aside Jakub Mensik despite grumbling about an early start time.
Andrey Rublev dug deep to outlast Lorenzo Sonego, turning around a first-set loss with improved depth and control.
Alex de Minaur also advanced without swinging his racket after countryman Christopher O’Connell withdrew with a back issue.
With most of the top seeds still in the mix, the tournament now heads into an intriguing round of 16 tomorrow featuring matchups like Zverev vs. Cerundolo and a battle of young Americans between Michelsen and Tien.
Here’s everything that went down on Day 6 of the National Bank Open.
Day Six Canadian Open 2025 Round of 32 Results
Winner
Loser
Scoreline
Frances Tiafoe (7)
Aleksandar Vukic
6-3 4-6 6-3
Alex de Minaur (9)
Christopher O’Connell
Walkover
Flavio Cobolli (13)
Fabian Marozsan
6-2 4-6 6-3
Ben Shelton (4)
Brandon Nakashima (25)
6-7(8) 6-2 7-6(5)
Andrey Rublev (6)
Lorenzo Sonego (28)
5-7 6-4 6-3
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (20)
Jakub Mensik (12)
6-2 6-4
Jiri Lehecka (19)
Arthur Fils (15)
3-6 6-3 6-4
Taylor Fritz (2)
Gabriel Diallo (27)
6-4 6-2
Key Matches
Taylor Fritz def. Gabriel Diallo, 6-4, 6-2
Taylor Fritz shut down any hopes of a Wimbledon repeat, cruising past Gabriel Diallo 6-4, 6-2 in just 75 minutes at the National Bank Open.
The second seed looked far sharper than in his gritty opener, where he struggled to find the court.
Fritz broke Diallo’s serve to love in the first game and again at 1-1 in the second set, overcoming a 0/40 deficit with dominant forehand play.
Next up: Jiri Lehecka, whom he leads 3-0 in their head-to-head, though they haven’t clashed since 2023.
Jiri Lehecka def. Arthur Fils, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Jiri Lehecka battled back to oust 15th seed Arthur Fils 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, booking a third-round spot at the National Bank Open.
The 19th-seeded Czech rallied from a set down, leaning on his baseline consistency to outlast the Frenchman’s aggression, who struggled with a blister on his foot.
Fils had dispatched Carreno Busta in the first round, but I still think he’s a way off his best tennis after his back injury.
Ben Shelton def. Brandon Nakashima, 6-7(8), 6-2, 7-6(5)
Ben Shelton gutted out a 6-7(8), 6-2, 7-6(5) thriller against Brandon Nakashima, keeping his perfect 5-0 head-to-head record intact.
The fourth seed needed five match points, including a clutch ace in the third-set tiebreak, to seal the two-hour, 36-minute battle.
Shelton had squandered two match points at 5-4 and faced pressure in the decider, but stayed resilient, and he seems to have the mental edge over Nakashima with the perfect H2H record.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina def. Jakub Mensik, 6-2, 6-4
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina notched up his 20th hard-court win of 2025, dispatching Jakub Mensik 6-2, 6-4.
Fokina had been on Instagram voicing his distaste at having to play at 11 am, but he showed no signs of fatigue, and after making the final in Washington, he’s backed up his form in Toronto, rising to 18 in the live rankings.
Andrey Rublev def. Lorenzo Sonego, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
Andrey Rublev rallied past Lorenzo Sonego 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, marking his first back-to-back wins at this level in a year.
The sixth seed, who fell to Sonego in Barcelona earlier this season, turned the tables with sharper aggression and fewer errors in the final two sets.
Considering the weaker field in Toronto, it’s the sort of opportunity he needs to capture a second Masters 1000 title.
Highlights
Canadian Open 2025 Day 7 Round of 16 Matches
Alexander Zverev (1) vs Francisco Cerdundolo (14)
Alexei Popyrin (18) vs Holger Rune (5)
Alex Michelsen (26) vs Learner Tien
Karen Khachanov (11) vs Casper Ruud (8)