NBO Montreal Tale of the Tape: Shapovalov vs. Svajda

He might have lost the final in Los Cabos on Saturday but the left-hander from Toronto got five matches under his belt after recovering from rib and shoulder injuries. His opening foe in Montreal on Tuesday is an American, Zach Svajda. 

Current form 

Shapovalov didn’t lose a set when he won the crown in Los Cabos last year. This time, it was more tricky in the intense heat and humidity in Mexico. He almost lost his opener against Rinky Hijikata — dropping the first set — which would have left his ranking around 70th. 

READ: Shapovalov hoping to work himself into NBO after promising showing in Mexico

Shapovalov rallied, then played one of the most intense matches of the week in the semifinals against Cam Norrie. The two-and-a-half hour battle that ended at midnight seemed to take a toll in the final, although Shapovalov came up against an inspired Arthur Gea. 

Svajda played in Washington. He retired in qualifying due to illness but snuck into the main draw as a lucky loser. Svajda, however, might have still been feeling the effects as he lost to qualifier Aleksandar Vukic in 50 minutes in the first round.

2026 season so far 

After landing two titles in a season for the first time in 2025, deep stays at tournaments have been hard to come by for Shapovalov. Before Los Cabos, he had made two quarterfinals, in Dallas (semifinal) and Munich. His loss in Munich kickstarted a five-match losing streak. In Grand Slam play, Shapovalov has gone 1-3. 

His health, though, hasn’t always been at 100 percent. 

Svajda is enjoying a breakout season — which includes more wins than Shapovalov in majors. A clay-court novice, Svajda reached the fourth round at the French Open, almost taking eventual finalist Flavio Cobolli to a fifth set. 

He backed it up by making the third round at Wimbledon.

Svajda can slap forehand winners and hit double digits in aces, but not many can match the famous firepower of Shapovalov. 

Svajda’s ranking sits just inside the top 90, while Shapovalov’s fruitful week in Los Cabos sent his ranking up from 68th to inside the top 45. 

They’ll square off for the first time. 

NBO Tournament results 

While Svajda, 23, makes his debut in Canada, Shapovalov returns to the site of his breakthrough. As a teen in Montreal in 2017, Shapovalov knocked off Grand Slam winners Juan Martin del Potro and Rafael Nadal in back-to-back rounds on the way to the semifinals. Since then, though, he has not won back-to-back matches in Montreal and has lost five in a row overall at the NBO. 

Two Americans topped him in the last two editions, Learner Tien and Brandon Nakashima.

Svajda, though, is the lowest-ranked player Shapovalov has met at the NBO. 

Heartbreak for Svajda 

Svajda and his tennis playing brother, Trevor, lost their dad, Tom, to cancer last October. Tom coached his sons and also taught at San Diego’s Pacific Beach Tennis Club for more than 20 years. “Our journey through his treatment and fight has been incredibly challenging,” Svajda said in 2024. “Supporting him through this has been one of the most difficult yet meaningful experiences of my life.”

Photo: Mathieu Bélanger