MONTREAL/TORONTO, AUG 14 (IANS): Ben Shelton became the first man since fellow lefty Rafael Nadal in 2019 to win back-to-back Canadian Open titles when he beat Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 7-6 (4) in the final. He dovetailed with another member of the Big Three, Novak Djokovic, becoming the first man to win the tournament without dropping a set since the Serb 10 years ago.
With his victory, Shelton became the fourth man this century to successfully defend the Canada title after Andy Murray (2009-10), Novak Djokovic (2011-12) and Nadal (2018-19).
By defeating fellow American Nakashima in Montreal, Shelton improved to 6-0 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series. The lefty has now won four titles this season, having also triumphed in Dallas, Munich and Stuttgart, taking his overall tally of ATP Tour titles to seven, according to ATP stats. Nakashima, who was competing in his first Masters 1000 final, was seeking his second ATP Tour title, almost four years after winning his first in 2022, when he triumphed on home soil in San Diego.
Although the 25-year-old fell short in the Montreal final, Nakashima will leave Canada with plenty of good memories. With his run to the championship match, Nakashima ensured he will climb to a career-high No. 22 in the ATP Rankings.
After Shelton earned his first break of serve against Nakashima with a blistering return winner at 3-3 in the first set, there was no stopping the 23-year-old. Shelton dictated the tempo of the clash with a dominant serving display and consistently came out on top, firing off his forehand wing. The American faced no break points throughout the match and converted two of the four break points he earned, ATP reports.
Swiatek sweeps past Rybakina in Toronto to clinch first title of 2026
Iga Swiatek broke her near year-long title drought, beating Elena Rybakina to win the Canadian Open women’s singles crown.
The eighth-ranked Pole had not won a title or reached a final since winning in Seoul last September. But she capped a stellar run in Toronto with a dominant 6-2, 6-3 win over World No. 2 Rybakina in 75 minutes to claim her first title of the season — and the 26th of her career.
It also marked her 12 WTA 1000 crown, moving her past Aryna Sabalenka (11) for the second-most since the format debuted in 2009. She now trails only Serena Williams (13).
The 2026 season had been a lackluster one by Swiatek’s high standards entering Toronto. She had yet to reach a final, had slipped to No. 8 in the world and was on the fringes of the WTA Finals picture. Above all else, her confidence appeared shaken.
Swiatek defeated four Top 20 opponents en route to the title (Rybakina, Svitolina, Shnaider, Kostyuk), the first time since winning Roland-Garros in 2024 that she has beaten three or more in a single tournament.
With her triumph in Toronto, Swiatek has now captured all five significant North American titles: Indian Wells (2022, 2024), Miami (2022), US Open (2022), Cincinnati (2025) and Canada (2026).
She is also three-fourths of the way to a Career Slam, missing only an Australian Open title, and has won eight of the 10 WTA 1000s on offer — with Dubai and Wuhan the only two she has yet to claim.
In total, Swiatek holds 19 Big Titles, including Roland Garros (x4), US Open, Wimbledon, WTA Finals, Rome (x3), Doha (x2), Indian Wells (x2), Beijing, Canada, Cincinnati, Madrid and Miami. Despite failing to grab her third title of the season, Rybakina will still move into first in the WTA race. She leaves Toronto as the season leader in hard court wins (26) and WTA 1000 wins (22).
Top seeds Siniakova, Zhang lift the women’s doubles title in Toronto
Top seeds Zhang Shuai of China and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic won the women’s doubles title at the WTA 1000 event, beating third-seeded Sara Errani and Nicole Melichar-Martinez.
The top seeds defeated Errani and Melichar-Martinez 6-3, 6-4 in final, becoming the first team since Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina in 2017 to win the Canadian Open women’s doubles title without dropping a set.
Siniakova and Zhang’s run of victories included a win against at least one Grand Slam champion in each of the first three rounds: an opening victory against Sorana Cirstea and Mirra Andreeva, a 6-0, 6-4 second-round romp against Coco Gauff and Caty McNally, and a quarterfinal win against Storm Hunter and Desirate Krawczyk.
Two of the most decorated doubles players on the WTA Tour individually snagged their third career title as a team — and first at WTA 1000 level. The title was Zhang’s fourth doubles trophy on tour this year and the 19th of her career. Siniakova, meanwhile, hoisted her fourth WTA 1000 trophy of the season and first alongside the Chinese.
Zhang credited Siniakova for helping her produce her best tennis throughout the tournament.
Siniakova is now 6-0 in finals this year, having also won five titles with Taylor Townsend, while Zhang is 3-1 with three different partners. She won the Australian Open with Elise Mertens, and the Upper Austria Ladies Linz with Cirstea.
Siniakova and Zhang are now 3-0 in finals as a pair, also triumphing in Guangzhou in 2024 and Adelaide earlier this year. That was the last time they teamed up on the same side before they teamed in Toronto, where they stormed to the trophy without the loss of a set. As the top seeds, they dropped just 28 games in five rounds.