Ben Shelton and Alex de Minaur will face each other for the first time in what promises to be a compelling match at the ATP Toronto tournament. Ranked No. 7 and No. 8 respectively, the players bring contrasting styles that should produce an engaging contest for tennis fans.

Shelton, relatively new to the tour, acknowledges the challenge posed by de Minaur, who is renowned for his speed and relentless defense. “He’s a dawg,” Shelton said. “I’m ready for it. And for people who haven’t heard that saying, that’s a good thing.”

De Minaur enters this match on an impressive eight-match winning streak, coming off his title victory in Washington. His recent performance, including a highly watched rally against Frances Tiafoe, highlights his ability to maintain rhythm and fight back even when trailing.

Shelton, with his height and power advantage, plans to leverage his serve-driven game against de Minaur’s agile defense. Success for Shelton will depend on his consistency, his ability to finish points when he gains the upper hand, and sharp execution of his serve, forehand, and volley.

The clash blends Shelton’s developing power game with de Minaur’s experienced resilience, setting the stage for an exciting match in the Toronto draw.

Victoria Mboko has made history as the youngest Canadian to reach the semi-finals of the Canadian Open, a WTA 1000 event, held in Montreal. The 18-year-old wildcard entrant has delivered a sequence of impressive performances, defeating two Grand Slam champions on her way to the last four.

Mboko’s victories include a second-round win over 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and a stunning upset against top seed and two-time major winner Coco Gauff in the fourth round. She followed these achievements with a straight-sets, 6-4, 6-2 win against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro to secure her place in the semi-finals.

This breakthrough comes just four months after Mboko made her WTA 1000 debut at the Miami Open, where she secured her first top-level victory before exiting in the second round. Her trajectory since then includes reaching the third round of the French Open and the second round at Wimbledon, culminating now in a semi-final appearance in Montreal. Mboko is only the third Canadian woman in the Open Era to reach this stage of the Canadian Open, joining Faye Urban and Bianca Andreescu.

Turning 19 in late August, Mboko is the youngest Canadian to advance this far and the youngest overall at this stage since Belinda Bencic won the title in 2015 at 18 years and five months.

Reflecting on her victory over Gauff, Mboko said, “Of course, to play against Coco, it was a really special experience, and I was really happy to have won that day. But at the end of the day, I’m still in the tournament, so it’s not like I went to celebrate or anything. I was still kind of locked in like I normally am in a tournament.

“You play a tournament because you want to win it. So, I think I just had that kind of mentality.”

Starting 2025 ranked No. 333, Mboko’s rise has been rapid, moving to No. 156 post-Miami Open and breaking into the top 100 after Roland Garros. She entered the Canadian Open at No. 85 and is projected to jump into the top 50 following her run, currently standing at No. 48 in live rankings. A semi-final win over 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina could propel her to around No. 33.

On managing physical demands, Mboko noted, “I don’t feel fresh, but I also don’t feel so tired. I think it helps that we had a day in between every single day to kind of regroup and collect myself. Every day, I’ve just been doing what I needed to do to recover well. Most of the days has been the night match, so I do have a lot of time in the day to take naps and do what I need to do to prepare for the night.”

Top seed Alexander Zverev rallied past the defending champion Alexei Popyrin in a tense quarterfinal match at the National Bank Open in Toronto. Zverev lost the opening set in a close tiebreak 6-7 (8) but fought back to claim the next two sets 6-4, 6-3.

Zverev, a German ranked No. 3 globally and the 2017 winner of this tournament, reached his 75th ATP Tour semifinal and is targeting his 25th ATP title and eighth at the Masters 1000 level. He will meet No. 11 seed Karen Khachanov from Russia next, who defeated No. 26 Alex Michelsen 6-4, 7-6 (3) to reach the semis.

The match began with Popyrin taking the first set after a deft backhand volley dropped just over the net at 6-7 (8), energizing his fans. Zverev showed frustration briefly by striking a ball out of the stadium but quickly regrouped, securing an early 2-0 lead in the second set. Both players exchanged breaks, but Zverev broke late to take the set 6-4.

Zverev then secured two breaks early in the third set to gain a 2-0 lead and never relinquished his advantage, closing out the match. His victory improves his career record against Popyrin to 4-0, including a win at the Paris Olympics.

This season, Zverev has won two clay-court titles and is the highest-ranked player in a Toronto field missing key stars such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Jack Draper, and Novak Djokovic. The remaining quarterfinals will see Taylor Fritz face Andrey Rublev and Ben Shelton take on Alex de Minaur, with semifinals scheduled for Wednesday and the final on Thursday.