Sunday features quarterfinal and semifinal action, with the championship matches uniquely scheduled for Monday in this Olympic year.
It is Semifinal Sunday in Toronto, where defending champion Jessica Pegula faces the red-hot Diana Shnaider, who already upset another top American, Coco Gauff. The other singles semifinal is an all-American affair, as Emma Navarro plays Amanda Anisimova.
In Montreal, half of the draw is a round behind due to rain, so those players will need to contest both their quarterfinals and semifinals on Sunday. 2017 champion Alexander Zverev takes on Washington champ Sebastian Korda in the quarterfinals, with the winner to return to the court later in the day for a semifinal against either Hubert Hurkacz or Alexei Popyrin. And in a semifinal matchup that has already been determined, Andrey Rublev squares off against Matteo Arnaldi.
Throughout the tournament, this preview will analyze the day’s most prominent match in both Montreal and Toronto, while highlighting the other notable matches on the schedule in each city. Sunday’s play is scheduled to begin at 1:00pm in Toronto, and at 12:30pm in Montreal.
Sebastian Korda vs. Alexander Zverev (2) – Not Before 2:00pm on Court Central in Montreal
Zverev is playing for his ATP-leading 50th win of the season in this match, after taking out Holger Rune in straight sets on Saturday. He is looking to claim his second consecutive Masters 1000 title, after winning in Rome three months ago. This would be his seventh title at this level, which would move Sascha into a tie with Michael Chang for the eighth most all-time.
Coming off a title run last week in Washington, Korda is on a seven-match winning streak. He’s received both a retirement (Pospisil) and a walkover (Ruud) this week, so Sebi should be rather fresh for what could possibly be two matches on Sunday. However, this is only the third time he’s advanced to the quarterfinals of a Masters 1000 tournament.
This is surprisingly the first meeting between Zverev and Korda. And while Sebi is currently playing with the most confidence he’s possessed since a wrist injury disrupted his career 18 months ago, Sascha is the favorite to reach another Masters 1000 final. The German’s serving prowess is hard to overcome on this surface.
Diana Shnaider this week in Toronto (twitter.com/NBOtoronto)
Diana Shnaider (14) vs. Jessica Pegula (3) – 6:00pm on Centre Court in Toronto
Pegula has not dropped a set in her title defense, though this will be her first match against a top 40 player. She is a modest 24-10 on the year, as she missed all of the European clay court season due to injury. Jess is vying for her fourth WTA 1000 final, and she is 3-5 in WTA 1000 semifinals.
What a breakout season this has been for Shnaider, who had never even appeared in a WTA 1000 draw prior to 2024. But she now owns 41 wins this year at all levels, as well as three WTA Titles. Diana will debut inside the top 20 next week, thanks to this semifinal run where she upset top-seeded Coco Gauff in straight sets, and claimed three very tight three-setters.
This is another first career meeting on the day. Pegula certainly has the edge in experience, but Shnaider was the more in-form player coming into this event. In a tournament that has featured plenty of upsets thus far, I give Diana the slight edge to pull off another one on Sunday, thanks to her formidable left-handed ball striking.
Other Notable Matches on Sunday:
Emma Navarro (8) vs. Amanda Anisimova – Both players are yet to drop a set, and are making their debuts at this stage of a WTA 1000 event. This has been a huge season for Navarro, who is now 39-16. Anisimova upset second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday, and two years ago in Indian Wells, Amanda claimed her only previous meeting with Emma.
Alexei Popyrin vs. Hubert Hurkacz (4) – Hurkacz completed two three-setters on Saturday. Popyrin has already eliminated two seeded players (Shelton, Dimitrov). Hubi is 3-0 against Alexei, with three straight-set victories at Masters 1000 tournaments on North American hard courts.
Andrey Rublev (5) vs. Matteo Arnaldi – Rublev upset the top seed and defending champion, Jannik Sinner, on Saturday night. This is a first Masters 1000 semifinal for Arnaldi, after taking out Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals. They have split two prior encounters, with Matteo notably beating Andrey at this year’s French Open in straight sets.
Sunday’s full Order of Play for the ATP is here, and for the WTA is here.
