Canadian Open Montreal ATP Day Seven Round-Up | Rafael Jodar keeps Top-10 push alive as Arthur Fils gets past Norrie

The day Seven at the Canadian Open in Montreal saw the quarter-final lineup take shape, with several closely contested matches producing important results on the hard courts. Rafael Jodar continued his impressive run, while Brandon Nakashima and Luciano Darderi also survived demanding encounters to move into the last eight.

Arthur Fils also advanced with a victory over Cameron Norrie, adding another young contender to the quarter-final field. The results set up an increasingly competitive stage in Montreal, with Jodar continuing to strengthen his position among the tournament's emerging contenders.

Darderi overcame Borges in a tight three-set battle to reach his 10th quarter-final of the season, adding another milestone to an impressive 2026 campaign. The Italian also claimed his 30th victory of the year, but his comeback was accompanied by one of the more unusual moments of the tournament as he took an espresso shot during a changeover to help him regain energy and composure.

After dropping the opening set, Darderi recovered to level the match and continued to apply pressure in the decider. He broke for 4-3 after Borges double-faulted, although the advantage lasted only briefly as the Portuguese immediately levelled. Darderi then found another opening at 6-5 when a net cord bounced away from Borges, giving him the decisive break before he served out the match with an ace on his first match point.

Nakashima finally broke through his difficult record in Masters 1000 fourth rounds, defeating Rinderknech in another closely contested battle to reach the quarter-finals in Montreal. The American had lost his previous five matches at this stage of Masters 1000 tournaments, but held his nerve through another tight contest before completing the victory during a rain-interrupted finish.

The match was remarkably even statistically, with both players winning 67% of their service points and producing three breaks each. Nakashima struck 16 aces compared with 17 from Rinderknech and was forced to withstand more than 40 winners from his opponent, but the American was more effective when the key points arrived. Rinderknech finished with 22 unforced errors, while Nakashima made only 10, and he closed out the match on his first match point after the rain interruption.

Jodar continued his rapid rise by defeating eighth seed Lehecka in straight sets, producing another controlled performance against a higher-ranked opponent. The 21-year-old Spaniard was particularly effective behind his first serve, winning 86% of those points despite landing only 54% of his first deliveries. His return game was equally important, as he converted four break opportunities while Lehecka managed only one.

Lehecka struggled to find his usual explosiveness throughout the match, with Jodar's returning putting constant pressure on the Czech's service games. That eventually translated into a significant difference in errors, with Lehecka finishing with 34 unforced errors compared with just 10 from Jodar. The Spaniard has now reached the quarter-finals in seven of his last eight tournaments, and winning the Montreal title would be enough to send him into the ATP Top 10 for the first time.

Fils took control early, breaking Norrie in the fourth game to establish the first significant advantage of the match. The Frenchman then faced pressure on serve as Norrie created several break-point opportunities, but the Briton was unable to convert any of them. Fils stayed composed and found another opening late in the set, securing a second break to close out a convincing 6-2 opener.

The second set was much tighter, with both players managing to protect their serves despite several difficult games. Norrie came particularly close to losing control when he trailed 2-3, 0-40, but he saved all three break points to stay in the contest. Fils continued to hold the advantage and reached 6-5 with two match points on Norrie’s serve, but the Briton saved both to force a tiebreak. Fils took an early lead in the breaker, only for Norrie to recover both mini-breaks and keep the tiebreak alive. The Frenchman remained composed under pressure, eventually converting his fifth match point to seal the victory 10-8 in the tiebreak.