There was a gigantic Canadian upset in the first round of the 2026 National Bank Open in Toronto, Ontario on Monday. Kayla Cross of London, Ontario, the 177th ranked player in the world, defeated Katie Boulter of Great Britain, the 72nd ranked player in the world, 7-6, 7-5.
Cross won the first set tiebreak 7-3. The 21-year-old Canadian had the strong service advantage. Cross had 11 aces and six double faults, and Boulter had two aces and 12 double faults.
This was a very impressive first set for Cross. She fought off four first set points, before dominating the tiebreak. This was also the first career main draw win for Cross on the WTA Tour.
Boulter is a winner of four WTA events. Earlier this year in the Czech Republic, she defeated Tamara Korpartsch 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 in the final of the Ostrava Open. This summer, Boulter made headlines off the tennis court. She married Australian men’s tennis star Alex de Minaur.
Next up for Cross is American Ann Li, the 26th seed, in the second round on Wednesday. This will be their first ever meeting head-to-head.
Cross is one of two Canadian women to win their first round match in Toronto. The other was Katherine Sebov of Kleinburg, Ontario, as she defeated Aoi Ito of Japan, 6-3, 6-4,
