The Canadian Open in Montreal proved to be a successful outing for three Australian players, all of whom advanced to the second round of the tournament.
In a match featuring two Australians, Alex de Minaur triumphed over James Duckworth, while Alexei Popyrin secured a victory against Argentina’s Roman Andres Burruchaga. Additionally, Tahlia Gibson achieved an impressive win against 18th seed Maja Chwalinska from Poland.
De Minaur is set to compete against either Britain’s Cameron Norrie or Peru’s Ignacio Buse for a chance to advance to the round of 16.
In a significant boost to his confidence, Alexei Popyrin, who has been struggling in his career, managed to secure a much-needed victory, joining De Minaur in the next round of the Canadian Open. Popyrin, who previously stunned the tennis world by defeating Novak Djokovic at the US Open two years ago, has seen his ranking fall to 139 amid ongoing challenges.
After a tough qualification process just to enter the main draw, Popyrin faced Burruchaga for over two hours, ultimately winning 4-6, 7-5, 6-3. This marked his first ATP-level victory since May during the Masters event and only his ninth win of the 2026 season. He will next face either the seventh seed from the US, Taylor Fritz, or another Argentine player, Thiago Agustin Tirante.
Meanwhile, De Minaur appeared to be comfortably ahead before facing a late challenge from Duckworth. After establishing a lead of a set and 3-1, De Minaur endured a tense battle as Duckworth sought his first victory over him in three encounters. Ultimately, De Minaur managed to fend off six set points, securing a 6-2, 7-6(6) win in a match that lasted one hour and 46 minutes. Following the match, De Minaur reflected, “In the first set everything was flowing. I was up a break, had a couple more chances to go up by a double break and all of a sudden it slips away. Then the momentum shifted, and we got into a battle. I’m glad I was able to sneak through. There are a couple of things I need to tighten up on, but we live to fight another day.”
While De Minaur and Popyrin progressed, fellow Australian Adam Walton was eliminated, losing 6-3, 6-4 to American Jenson Brooksby.
In the women’s WTA event in Toronto, Tahlia Gibson continued her impressive performance in the 2026 season by defeating Polish 18th seed Maja Chwalinska with a score of 7-5, 6-1 in the second round. This victory, marking her 28th win of a breakout year, secures her a match against Russian 16th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
