A week into the Omnium Banque Nationale in Montreal, we’re reminded of how much parity there is on the Hologic WTA Tour. Seven of the top 10 seeds were eliminated before the quarterfinals, including all the top five seeds.

Gone is No. 1 seed Coco Gauff, ousted by upstart 18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko (much, much more on her later). So, too, is two-time defending champion Jessica Pegula, who fell in the third round to World No. 386 (386!) Anastasija Sevastova. And Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek also had an early exit, crashing out against 16th-seeded Clara Tauson.

The highest-seeded player left is American Madison Keys, who had to survive two match points down to defeat 11th-seeded Karolina Muchova.

But top seeds falling has only been part of the story at the first WTA 1000 tournament of the North American hard-court swing.

For those who have been following along — and, particularly, those who haven’t (you know who you are) — we present Courtside Changeover, a look at the week that was and a sneak peek of what’s coming up. 

Week 1 Superlatives
Osaka Is Taking Names

Loads of questions marks surrounded Naomi Osaka when she landed in Canada. She was coming off a loss to Yulia Putintseva in D.C. and had just announced that she had ended her brief working relationship with coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

But none of that stress seems to be weighing on her — and if it is, you’d certainly never know it by watching her. The four-time Grand Slam champion looks completely locked in, with four wins this week to book a spot in the quarterfinals. The fourth-round win was the most emphatic, a 6-1, 6-0 beatdown over Sevastova in just 49 minutes.

Osaka drops just one game vs. Sevastova to reach Montreal quarters

The Match of the Week

This is always the toughest call when we put these Changeovers together, and it’s been especially challenging this week, with so many epics.

But we have no choice but to go with the first-round marathon between Germans Laura Siegemund and Tatjana Maria, the two oldest players in the Top 100. The 37-year-olds traded blows for an astounding 3 hours and 26 minutes, with Siegemund eking out a 7-5, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (2) win. Loaded with stunning reflexes, old-school creativity and delicate touch from start to finish, it was the third-longest tour-level match of 2025, and proved that these two veterans can still go. (Not that anyone was questioning that.)

Siegemund triumphs over Maria in Montreal in third-longest match of 2025

The Coming-Out Party

This one is a no-brainer. We knew that Mboko could really play, and has the potential to become a huge star, but this week has just been otherworldly. She came out firing out of the gate (literally), blasting 27 aces in her first two wins. (For context, she became only the fifth player since 2008 to record 12 or more aces in two matches in the same tournament.)

And her most recent match was her shining moment, a straight-sets win over two-time Grand Slam champion Gauff in 1 hour and 2 minutes. All of Mboko’s matches have been played on Center Court, to the delight of the adoring and supportive crowd, and she’s risen to the occasion all week. She’ll have to be at her best again on Monday night when she takes on Jessica Bouzas Maneiro for a spot in the semifinals.

Mboko upsets top-seeded Gauff to reach Montreal quarterfinals

The Point of the Tournament

The shotmaking has been next level this week. Click here to watch some of the most brilliant shots thus far, and vote below for your favorite. (We promise we’re not playing favorites with Marta Kostyuk, but holy smokes, she’s like a human highlight reel.)

We don’t want to sway your vote, but watch her literally get up off the ground, stay alive with a forehand, and finish the point with a brilliant running passing shot.

‘Point of the year!’ Kostyuk falls, bounces back to fire winner in Montreal

We also can’t ignore this behind-the-back magic from Muchova. Keys won the point with a drive volley, but still, huge props for the crazy reflexes.

Hot shot: Keys foils Muchova’s behind-the-back magic in Montreal

Numbers Don’t Lie
Smells Like Teen Spirit

The teenagers continue to make noise on tour. If Mboko advances to the semifinals, she’d become the third teenager to make a WTA 1000 semifinal this season following Mirra Andreeva (Indian Wells, which she won) and Alexandra Eala (Miami). Three teenangers haven’t made WTA 1000 semis since 2009 (Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova). 

Pavlyuchenkova, now 34, was seeded 27th in this tournament, a testament to her incredible longevity. (She lost to Eva Lys in the second round.)

Rising Up

Mboko’s rise has been rapid in 2025. She began the season at No. 333 in the PIF WTA Rankings, and came into this tournament at No. 85. Her upset of Gauff propelled her to No. 53 in the live rankings, and if she tops Bouzas Maneiro, she’ll jump up to No. 24.

Saying Farewell to a Canadian Legend

It was a quite an emotional farewell to Eugenie Bouchard, who played the final tournament of her career in her hometown. The former Wimbledon finalist thrilled the crowd with a first-round win over Emiliana Arango before falling to 17th-seeded Belinda Bencic in her final match.

“I’ve always had a feeling I would end my career here,” the former World No. 5 said. “Just makes sense. Montreal is where I was born and raised, so it just feels right. Yeah, just an emotional roller coaster. I just wanted a moment like this because my career kind of deserved a moment like this. I really think I got it tonight, and I’m so grateful for that.”

We are too, Genie. Congrats on an incredible career.

What’s Next for Genie?

Not even she knows. 

“I’ve always said I feel like I missed out because I didn’t go to college and didn’t go to school,” she said after the match, “so that could be an option as well. Diving into the TV stuff more is definitely something I enjoy, so that’s a probable next step. Are any of you guys hiring? I don’t even have a [resume]. Maybe my agent can come up with one for me. I’m not used to doing that.”

Whatever you do next, we know you’ll kill it – and we’ll be watching. (And if you choose to go back to school, make sure to talk to Billie Jean King about it.)

Looking Ahead to the Quarters

The first two quarterfinals are on Monday, with 24th-seeded Kostyuk taking on ninth-seeded Elena Rybakina. Later on, Mboko will meet Bouzas Maneiro, who overcame Zhu Lin in three sets to reach her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal.

On Tuesday, Keys will square off with Tauson and 10th-seeded Elina Svitolina will play Osaka.

Which Brings Us to This Question…