If you tuned out for even a second during the summer hard-court swing, you missed a total tectonic shift in the sport. Seriously. The Canadian Open tennis results from this past August didn't just give us two new champions; they basically rewrote the script for what the next decade of tennis is going to look like. We saw a teenager from Ontario turn Montreal into her personal playground and a big-serving American finally grab the "next big thing" mantle in Toronto.
It was wild.
Usually, these Masters 1000 events are where the veterans steady the ship before the US Open. Not this time. Between the new 12-day format and the expanded 96-player draw, the chaos was constant. If you're looking for the raw data, the big takeaways, and why people are still buzzing about what happened at Sobeys Stadium and IGA Stadium, you’re in the right place.
The Mboko Miracle in Montreal
Let’s be real for a minute: nobody—not even the most die-hard Canadian tennis fans—honestly expected Victoria Mboko to be the one holding the trophy at the end. She entered the week as a wildcard, ranked No. 85 in the world. By the time she was done, she had knocked off four Grand Slam champions.
The final against Naomi Osaka was a masterclass in grit.
Mboko lost the first set 2-6 and looked like she might be overwhelmed by the occasion. But then, something clicked. She started chasing down every single ball, frustrating Osaka with her defensive range and a heavy forehand that just wouldn't quit. She took the second 6-4 and then absolutely steamrolled through the third 6-1. The crowd in Montreal was so loud you could probably hear them in Quebec City.
How she did it
It wasn't just a lucky run. Look at the names she took out:
- Coco Gauff: The top seed and a massive favorite.
- Elena Rybakina: A semifinal thriller where Mboko saved a match point and played through a nagging wrist injury.
- Sofia Kenin: A former Australian Open champ.
- Naomi Osaka: The final hurdle.
Mboko is now only the third Canadian woman in the Open Era to win this title, joining the likes of Bianca Andreescu (2019) and Faye Urban (1969). More importantly, she’s the first to ever do it on the Montreal side of the rotation.
Ben Shelton’s Breakthrough in Toronto
While the women were fighting it out in Quebec, the men were in Toronto, and it was the Ben Shelton show. We’ve known Shelton has a cannon for a left arm since his 2023 US Open run, but winning a Masters 1000 title is a different beast entirely. It’s about consistency. It's about not having "the bad day" across two weeks of high-pressure tennis.
The final was a heavyweight slugfest against Karen Khachanov.
It went the distance: 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(3). That final tiebreaker was basically Shelton saying, "I’m not losing this." He fired off an ace and two unreturnable serves to seal the deal. At 23 years old, he became the youngest American to win a Masters title since Andy Roddick back in 2004. Think about that for a second. That’s a twenty-year gap.
Shelton’s path wasn't easy either. He had to go through Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur, two of the fastest and most disciplined players on the tour. Honestly, seeing him handle those types of grinders suggests his game has matured way past just "hit the ball hard."
The Seeds That Fell Early
You can't talk about the Canadian Open tennis results without mentioning the carnage in the early rounds. The expanded draw meant more matches, more fatigue, and more opportunities for hungry qualifiers to make a name for themselves.
- Alexander Zverev: He made it to the semis, but he had to work overtime for every point. He did manage to hit a milestone, becoming the first player born in the 1990s to reach 500 career wins, but Ben Shelton ultimately proved too much for him.
- Daniil Medvedev: A perennial favorite in Canada, but he exited earlier than expected.
- Leylah Fernandez: This was the heartbreak of the tournament. She lost in the first round to Maya Joint (6-4, 6-1) and was visibly devastated. She actually called out the tournament scheduling afterward, frustrated that she had to play Tuesday afternoon after winning a title in D.C. on Sunday.
- Alexei Popyrin: The defending champ couldn't replicate the 2024 magic, falling in the quarterfinals.
Doubles Winners and Notable Stats
While the singles took the headlines, the doubles results were just as intense. These matches often came down to the wire, with "match tiebreaks" (the first to 10 points) deciding several high-stakes rounds.
- Women's Doubles: Coco Gauff and McCartney Kessler took the title in a nail-biter against Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai. The final score was 6-4, 1-6, [13-11]. Yes, 13-11 in the tiebreak.
- Men's Doubles: The British duo of Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool edged out Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski 6-3, 6-7, [13-11].
The tournament also saw a massive jump in prize money for the women. This year, the WTA prize pool was bumped up to 56% of the men's total, part of a multi-year plan to reach total parity by 2027. It's about time.
Why These Results Actually Matter
If you’re just checking the scores, you might think it was just another week on tour. You’d be wrong. These Canadian Open tennis results are a signal that the "middle class" of tennis is disappearing—it's all about the young guns now.
Victoria Mboko went from No. 350 at the start of the year to inside the Top 25 after this win. That doesn't happen by accident. It shows that the depth in women's tennis is so deep that a wildcard can actually run the table. On the men's side, Ben Shelton's win proves that American men's tennis is finally back in the conversation for the biggest titles in the world.
The transition to a 12-day format also changed the vibe. It felt more like a Grand Slam. Players had more recovery time (theoretically), but the pressure cooked for longer.
What to Watch for Next
Now that the dust has settled on the 2025 National Bank Open, the tennis world is looking toward the Asian swing and the season-ending finals. But the impact of what happened in Toronto and Montreal will linger.
Keep an eye on Victoria Mboko’s wrist. She played through significant pain to win that trophy, and her longevity will depend on how she manages that injury. As for Ben Shelton, he has officially graduated from "prospect" to "contender." No one wants to see that serve on their side of the bracket anymore.
If you're following the rankings, expect to see both players seeded much higher in the upcoming majors. The "Canadian bounce" is a real thing, and it usually carries players deep into the autumn.
💡 You might also like: Tyler Tanner and Tony Aiden: What Most People Get Wrong
Actionable Insights for Fans
- Watch the Wildcards: In the new 96-player format, the early-round matches involving wildcards like Mboko are where the real value is. Don't skip them.
- Surface Matters: The Canadian courts are traditionally very fast. Players who succeeded here (Shelton, Osaka, Mboko) usually thrive in Cincinnati and the US Open as well.
- Scheduling is Key: As Leylah Fernandez pointed out, the transition from Washington (D.C.) to Canada is brutal. Always check who played deep into the previous week before placing any bets or making fantasy picks.
The 2025 edition of the Canadian Open was a record-breaker for attendance, with over 500,000 fans across both cities. Tennis in Canada isn't just growing; it's arrived. And with champions like Mboko leading the charge, the home crowd has plenty to be loud about for years to come.