National Bank Open 2026, Montreal Day Six Recap

Day six at the 2026 National Bank Open decided the remaining fourth-round places as João Fonseca picked up another solid victory over Casper Ruud, while defending champion Ben Shelton, Learner Tien and Jakub Menšík all strengthened their credentials with convincing wins.

Elsewhere, Botic van de Zandschulp backed up his upset of Daniil Medvedev with another impressive comeback against Hubert Hurkacz, Daniel Mérida Aguilar’s run since Umag gathered further momentum, and Tallon Griekspoor proved his win over Alexander Zverev was no fluke by booking his place in the last 16.

With the fourth round now set and Ben Shelton standing as the only top-10 seed remaining, the race for the Montreal title is wide open and a great chance for one of the lesser guys to bag a big title like Popyrin managed here two years ago.

Here’s a look at the key results and standout matches from day six.

Day Six National Open 2026 Round of 32 Results

Key Match Recap

João Fonseca def. Casper Ruud 7-6(6), 6-3

João Fonseca is starting to justify some of the hype around him, bagging another impressive victory, defeating ninth seed Casper Ruud to reach the fourth round.

The Brazilian made a slow start, which he is known for, surrendering an early break after facing seven break points in his opening three service games.

However, once he settled, the momentum swung decisively. Fonseca broke back immediately before producing an excellent tie-break, recovering from 3-5 down to snatch the opening set.

From there, he barely looked back. His explosive baseline game overwhelmed Ruud in the second set, where he didn’t face a single break point and consistently dictated with his forehand.

It’s now two wins from two over Ruud, having also beaten the Norwegian at Roland Garros earlier this season.

Botic van de Zandschulp def. Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 7-6(4), 7-5

Botic van de Zandschulp followed up his upset of Daniil Medvedev with a comeback victory, this time against Hubert Hurkacz.

The Dutchman struggled to make an impression early as Hurkacz served brilliantly to claim the opening set, but Van de Zandschulp gradually began extending the rallies and forcing the Pole into uncomfortable positions.

After edging the second set on a breaker, Van de Zandschulp carried the momentum into a tense deciding set before securing the decisive break at 6-5.

It’s been a superb week for the Dutchman, who sort of announced himself a few years back when he made the US Open quarterfinal as a qualifier but struggled a bit over the last two years, even stating he was close to retirement.

Daniel Mérida Aguilar def. Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-1

Daniel Mérida Aguilar’s dream run gathered further momentum as he defeated Alex Michelsen, and after winning Umag, he’s transitioned well onto hard courts.

The Spaniard looked to have the match wrapped up in straight sets but failed to convert three match points while serving at 5-4 in the second.

However, Mérida responded brilliantly, racing through the deciding set to seal the biggest hard-court victory of his career.

Ben Shelton def. Zizou Bergs 6-3, 6-2

Defending champion Ben Shelton continued his impressive title defence with another convincing victory over Zizou Bergs.

The American served superbly throughout (although in his post-match interview he said he can serve much better), winning all 16 of his service points in the second set and giving Bergs almost no opportunities to apply pressure.

With so many top seeds already eliminated, Shelton now finds himself as the only Top 10 seed remaining in the draw and, based on his performances so far, arguably the man to beat.

His fourth-round showdown with João Fonseca should be explosive.

Learner Tien def. Tommy Paul 6-3, 6-2

Learner Tien produced a comfortable victory over fellow American Tommy Paul.

Like Alex de Boulter, Paul has recently married, and his form has dropped off a cliff. Tien found far greater consistency off his forehand and controlled most of the baseline exchanges despite battling severe cramp during the closing stages.

The scoreline perhaps flatters him slightly as there were five consecutive service breaks late in the match, probably due to the brutal humidity, but Tien thoroughly deserved his place in the fourth round.

Other Matches of Note

Jakub Menšík picked up a straight-sets victory over Terence Atmane. The Czech closed out both sets by winning the final three games, ending Atmane’s run after victories over Jack Draper and Karen Khachanov.

Thiago Agustín Tirante backed up his win over Taylor Fritz by defeating former champion Alexei Popyrin 6-3, 6-4.

Highlights

National Bank Open 2026 Day 7 Round of 16 Matches