Leylah Fernandez defeats Beatriz Haddad Maia in three epic sets; Swiatek, Rybakina win too
10:44 p.m. E.T. - Sabalenka Powers Through
She may have started later than expected, but world no. 2 Aryna Sabalenka was ready for her close-up on Centre Court Wednesday night as she proved too much for Petra Martic in a 6-4, 7-6(5) victory to reach the third round. This year's Australian Open champion will face Liudmila Samsonova tomorrow evening for a spot in the quarter-finals.
8:02 p.m. ET – Fernandez delights home crowd with classic performance
Is there such thing as vintage Leylah Fernandez at just 20 years old? She's earned a bit of a reputation since her 2021 US Open final run as the queen of showmanship and winning blockbuster Centre Court matches, but this one in her home town of Montreal has to be one of the sweetest.
After winning a tight first set over last year's Toronto finalist Beatriz Haddad Maia, Fernandez was forced to regroup after missing out on two match points in the second and dropping it two games later. Saving some of her best tennis for last, the trilingual Canadian set up match point with a sensational lunging volley that had the Montreal crowd on its feet and closed out the match with one final forehand winner.
Onto the third round and, surely, another sellout crowd.
6:31 p.m. ET – Wozniacki's fairytale comeback halted by Wimbledon champ
It wasn't to be for Caroline Wozniacki in the second match of her much-anticipated comeback to professional tennis, but the former World No. 1 can be proud of the effort she produced against an in-form Marketa Vondrousova, the reigning Wimbledon champ, who is playing her first event since her triumph at SW19 just last month.
It was largely a tale of missed opportunities in the first set for Wozniacki, who showed a bit more rust than in her impressive opening-round victory over Kimberly Birrell. But in the second, she fought her way back from 0-3 down and threatened to take the match into a decider. Vondrousova, however, was able to steady her unorthodox lefty game just in time to close out the Dane 6-2, 7-5.
4:44 p.m. ET – No. 3 seed hangs on for tight victory, Brady bounced after admirable effort
The upset wasn't to be for Brady on her two-day epic against former Wimbledon champ Rybakina. The Kazakh proved too tall a task only a month into the comeback former Aussie Open finalist (2021), winning an incredibly entertaining 6-7(3), 7-6(5), 6-3 battle that showcased some brilliant shotmaking from both players.
And over on Court Rogers, the Wozniacki comeback continues as she takes on reigning Wimbledon champ Marketa Vondrousova in one of the most exciting matches of the day.
Stay tuned for updates on that match – and Leylah Fernandez's upcoming match against Beatriz Haddad Maia – as a wild Wednesday in Montreal continues.
3:52 p.m. ET – Rybakina hangs on in rain-delayed Brady battle, into a third set
Did anyone expect former Top 10'er Jennifer Brady to be this good already after years of injury layoff? The American and her high-margin, high-powered game is giving Rybakina a world of trouble on Court Central, as she three of four points upon resumption of their rain-delayed match from yesterday to take the first set on a sunny afternoon at Stade IGA.
But the No. 4-ranked Kazakh is a two-time WTA 1000 champion this season for reason – and her world-class serve bails her out of the second set to level the match at 6-7(3), 7-6(5).
Around the grounds, Daria Kasatkina came back from a break down in the second set to prevail 6-2, 7-5 over Anna Blinkova, and Karolina Muchova set up Roland-Garros final rematch with Swiatek after pushing past 2013 finalist Sorana Cirstea 7-5, 6-3.
2:34 p.m. ET – Swiatek stops Pliskova push for first win in "her" Stadium
Nothing like playing in a stadium named after you, right? Well, it isn't technically named after her - but Iga does share a name with Montreal's Stade IGA, and after a tight first set against 2021 finalist Karolina Pliskova, she certainly played like she owned it.
The dynamic World No. 1 overcame her Czech opponent 7-6(6), 6-1 to reach the third round where she awaits Sorana Cirstea or Karolina Muchova, the latter of which would be a rematch of this year's Roland Garros final.
2:09 p.m. ET – Seeded players seeing off contenders on outer courts
We've been upset-free on Wednesday so far, with the tournaments seeded players overcoming their unseeded challengers in the second round. Some have had an easier time – such as No 15 seed Lludmila Samsonova and No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula winning in straight sets – and some have had to battle.
Case in point: No. 12 seed Belinda Bencic, a former National Bank Open champ, needed two hours and 44 minutes and came back from a break down in the third set to survive Alycia Parks, winning 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
1:43 p.m. ET – Coco continues hot form
Fresh off of winning the biggest title of her career at the WTA 500 event in Washington last week, Coco Gauff is one to watch in Montreal and on hard courts for the rest of the season.
She kicked off her quest for a first WTA 1000 title here at the National Bank Open with an impressive 6-2, 6-2 win over qualifier Katie Boulter.
Meanwhile on Court Central, top seed Iga Swiatek overcomes stern resistance from Karolina Pliskova to win the first set 7-6(6) after just over an hour of play. Can she close this one out in straight sets?
12:22 p.m. ET – Happy Pride Day at the National Bank Open
Today at the National Bank Opens in Montreal and Toronto, Tennis Canada is proud to celebrate love & inclusivity in tennis, sport and beyond – and the fans are loving it too! Tennis is for everyone, today and always.
11:00 a.m. ET – Real ones know: Wednesday is always one of the hottest tickets at the National Bank Open. Our top eight seeds are all in action today, and the competition from the unseeded players is fierce.
Fans will be flocking to Stade IGA especially to watch World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in her first match ever in Montreal, as well as hometown hero Leylah Fernandez, Aussie Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, and comeback queen Caroline Wozniacki take on the reigning Wimbledon champ in the first major test of her return to tennis.
Check out the full order of play: ⬇️
COURT CENTRAL starts at 12:30 PM
[1] I. Swiatek (POL) vs K. Pliskova (CZE)
NB 1:30 PM J. Brady (USA) vs [3] E. Rybakina (KAZ)
[11] B. Haddad Maia (BRA) vs [WC] L. Fernandez (CAN)
NB 7:00 PM P. Martic (CRO) vs [2] A. Sabalenka
[7] P. Kvitova (CZE) vs [Q] C. Giorgi (ITA)
COURT ROGERS starts at 11:00 AM
[Q] K. Boulter (GBR) vs [6] C. Gauff (USA)
[4] J. Pegula (USA) vs [LL] Y. Putintseva (KAZ)
NB 4:30 PM [9] M. Vondrousova (CZE) vs [WC] C. Wozniacki (DEN)
NB 7:00 PM [Q] D. Collins (USA) vs [8] M. Sakkari (GRE)
G. Dabrowski (CAN) / E. Routliffe (NZL) vs L. Chan (TPE) / Z. Yang (CHN)
COURT 9 starts at 11:00 AM
[Q] A. Parks (USA) vs [12] B. Bencic (SUI)
A. Blinkova vs [10] D. Kasatkina
M. Sherif (EGY) / S. Stephens (USA) vs L. Siegemund (GER) / V. Zvonareva
After suitable rest [ALT] M. Linette (POL) / B. Pera (USA) vs N. Kichenok (UKR) / A. Parks (USA)
M. Bouzkova (CZE) / L. Zhu (CHN) vs [WC] M. Stakusic (CAN) / C. Zhao (CAN)
COURT 5 starts at 12:30 PM
[15] L. Samsonova vs Q. Zheng (CHN)
S. Cirstea (ROU) vs [14] K. Muchova (CZE)
U. Eikeri (NOR) / I. Neel (EST) vs [3] K. Siniakova (CZE) / L. Stefani (BRA)
After suitable rest [5] D. Krawczyk (USA) / D. Schuurs (NED) vs K. Muchova (CZE) / M. Vondrousova (CZE)
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