Toronto
Second seed Taylor Fritz of the United States eased past Canada's Gabriel Diallo with a 6-4, 6-2 win to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Despite playing a local favourite, Fritz praised the crowd’s friendliness, saying, “I expected it to be more hostile, but everyone was just so nice.”
Fritz, currently ranked World No. 4, will next face 19th-seeded Jiri Lehecka of Czechia, who overcame France’s Arthur Fils 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Fritz has won 10 ATP Tour titles, including this year's grass-court victories in Eastbourne and Stuttgart.
In another late-night clash, fourth-seeded Ben Shelton battled past fellow American Brandon Nakashima 6-7(8), 6-2, 7-6(5). Shelton’s next opponent will be 13th-seeded Flavio Cobolli of Italy.
Earlier in the day, Russia’s Andrey Rublev, seeded sixth, came back from a set down to beat Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. Rublev said he played more aggressively in the final two sets and looked forward to his next match.
Seventh seed Frances Tiafoe of the U.S. had a hard-fought win over Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic, winning 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. He now faces Washington Open winner Alex de Minaur, who advanced after countryman Christopher O’Connell withdrew.
Top stars Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Jack Draper, and Novak Djokovic have all skipped this year’s tournament. With many big names absent, rising and mid-ranked players now have a greater opportunity to shine on the hard courts in Toronto.
The fourth round is shaping up with several strong contenders hoping to claim the Canadian Open title.