Montreal — A wave of young talent has reshaped the quarter-final field at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, producing a first for the ATP Tour: all eight players left in the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 draw were born in the 2000s. It is also the first time since Paris in 2007 that every quarter-finalist at an ATP event is 25 or younger. The previous benchmark came three weeks ago in Estoril, where seven of the eight quarter-finalists were born this century.
Exciting Young Players in the Quarter-Finals
The last eight in Montreal are Ben Shelton, Learner Tien, Jakub Mensik, Arthur Fils, Luciano Darderi, Rafael Jodar, Brandon Nakashima, and Daniel Merida.
Shelton, who lifted the trophy last year when the event was staged in Toronto, is the highest-ranked player remaining at No. 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings. He meets Mensik in the quarters, with the Czech holding a 2-1 edge in their head-to-head.
Spain’s Jodar, 19, is the youngest player still in contention. He has surged this season, winning his first ATP title in Marrakech and rising to a career-best No. 15 after starting this time last year outside the Top 500. Jodar faces 22-year-old Fils, a Barcelona champion this season. Both are chasing their first Nitto ATP Finals berths, with Jodar currently 10th and Fils 13th in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin.
Two former Next Gen ATP Finals winners are also in the mix. Nakashima, now 25 and the 2022 champion at the 20-and-under event, plays 19th seed Darderi. Tien, 20, who won the title last December, takes on Merida.
Merida, 21, claimed his first ATP crown in Umag last month and has secured a debut in the world’s Top 50 with his Montreal run. Darderi owns five tour-level titles, all earned on clay.
The youth-driven lineup underscores a broader shift on tour. By age and achievements entering this week, the quarter-finalists are: Nakashima (25 years old, one title), Darderi (24, five), Shelton (23, six), Fils (22, four), Merida (21, one), Mensik (20, two), Tien (20, two), and Jodar (19, one). Matches are scheduled to determine which of these rising players will break through to the semi-finals.