The National Bank Open is almost done the first round in Toronto and Montreal, and six Canadians delivered first round upsets. The Canadians who delivered victories who were not expected to win were 2019 United States Open champion Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ontario, Nicolas Arsenault of Richmond Hill, Ontario, 2014 Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard of Montreal, Quebec, Alexis Galarneau of Laval, Quebec, Rebecca Marino of Toronto, Ontario, and Victoria Mboko of Burlington, Ontario.
Bianca Andreescu
Andreescu, the 187th ranked player in the world, upset Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic, the 80th ranked player, 6-3, 6-4. Krejcikova is a two-time grand slam champion as she won the French Open in 2021 and Wimbledon in 2024. A major difference was double faults. Andreescu had one, while Krejcikova had six. Andreescu had an ankle injury late in the match against Krejcikova, so we will see if she plays her second round match against the fourth seed and 2024 French Open semifinalist Mirra Andreeva of Russia. This is their first meeting head-to-head.
Nicolas Arsenault
Arsenault, the 638th ranked player in the world, upset the 111th ranked player, Valentin Royer of France, 6-3, 7-6. Arsenault had the advantage when it came to serving. Arsenault had five aces and four double faults, and Royer had three aces and six double faults. Arsenault next plays Alexei Popyrin of Australia, the 18th seed, and defending National Bank Open champion. This is their first meeting head-to-head.
Eugenie Bouchard
Bouchard, the 1062nd ranked player in the world, upset Emiliano Arango of Colombia, the 82nd ranked player in the world, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. Bouchard broke Arango six times in 13 opportunities. Bouchard next plays the 17th seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, the 2019 United States Open semifinalist and 2025 Wimbledon semifinalist. Bencic has won all three prior meetings.
Alexis Galarneau
Galarneau, the 193rd ranked player in the world, upset Arthur Rinderknech of France, the 64th ranked player in the world, 7-6, 6-3. The key statistic was winning percentage on second serve, as Galarneau was at 61% and Rinderknech was at 42%. Galarneau will next play the 13th seed Flavio Cobolli of Italy in round two. This is their first meeting.
Rebecca Marino
Marino, the 123rd ranked player in the world, upset Elsa Jacquemot of France, the 100th ranked player in the world, 7-6, 6-1. Jacquemot had 13 double faults compared to eight for Marino. The Canadian also had the advantage when it came to winning percentage on second serve. Marino was at 75% and Jacquemot was at 38%. Next up for Marino is the eighth seed and 2024 United States Open semifinalist Emma Navarro of the United States. Navarro has won two prior meetings.
Victoria Mboko
Mboko, the 85th ranked player in the world, upset Kim Birrell of Australia, the 79th ranked player in the world, 7-5, 6-3. Mboko had 15 aces compared to four for Birrell. Mboko next plays the 23rd seed Sofia Kenin of the United States, the 2020 Australian Open champion. This is their first meeting ever.
