The National Bank Open concluded with contrasting finals in Canada, as Ben Shelton successfully defended his men’s title in Montreal, while Iga Swiatek captured her first trophy of the season in Toronto.
Shelton Dominates Serve to Retain Montreal Trophy
In the first all-American singles final at the Canadian tournament in years, fifth seed Ben Shelton defeated compatriot Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 7-6(4).
The match lasted 1-hour, 27-minute and Shelton’s serve and all-court aggression proved decisive. The left-hander did not face a single break point during the match, firing seven aces and winning 86% of his first-serve points. After breaking Nakashima early to secure the opening set, Shelton navigated a tighter second set before closing out the tiebreak.
With the win, Shelton achieved a notable piece of history:
- He became the first men’s player to successfully defend a Canadian Open title since Rafael Nadal in 2018–2019.
- He joined an elite group in the Masters 1000 era to win consecutive Canadian titles, alongside Andre Agassi, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Nadal.
- The victory marks his seventh career ATP Tour title and strengthens his standing near the top of the rankings.
Swiatek Ends Title Drought Against Rybakina in Toronto
In the women’s draw in Toronto, Iga delivered a clinical 75-minute performance to defeat World No. 2 Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-3. She will now be one of the top favorites ahead of the US Open.
The Polish no 1 neutralized Rybakina’s heavy serve and baseline power by consistently changing depth, keeping the tall Kazakh on the move, and showing efficient court coverage. Swiatek did not face a break point in the second set, comfortably converting her advantages to close out the straight-sets victory.
- It marks Swiatek’s first title of the 2026 season, snapping a drought that dated back to the previous year.
- It is her 12th career WTA 1000 title, maintaining her high conversion rate at this tier.
- En route to the trophy, she navigated a demanding draw featuring several top-tier opponents, marking her strongest week of form in recent months.
