Impressive Jodar and Fils blaze into the last eight, setting up standout Montreal quarter-final
Rafael Jodar and Arthur Fils both reached the Montreal quarter-finals in ruthless fashion on Sunday, defeating Jiri Lehecka and Cam Norrie, setting up a meeting between two of the form players of the season, the Spaniard extending his run to a third straight Masters 1000 last eight and the Frenchman claiming his first in Canada.
Rafael Jodar, Montreal 2026 | © Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP/SIPA
Rafael Jodar and Arthur Fils booked a blockbuster all-in-form quarter-final in Montreal on Sunday night, each delivering one of the most eye-catching performances of the week to reach the last eight of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers.
Spaniard Jodar, the No. 20 seed, dismantled No. 8 seed Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-3, his first Masters 1000 quarter-final on a hard court and his third in a row overall, after Madrid and Rome earlier this season.
The 19-year-old, ranked No. 24, has now won 28 of his last 34 matches, a run that has carried him from clay specialist to genuine threat on every surface. Jodar had beaten No. 11 seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy 6-4, 6-3 and Frenchman Corentin Moutet 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 in the previous rounds.
Against Lehecka, Jodar was particularly destructive on his forehand from the middle of the court, a shot he is said to have won 13 of 17 points on, well above the tour average of 55 percent, according to Tennis Insight. A run to the Montreal final would put him on course for a first appearance inside the world’s top 10.
Fils : “The forehand is back”
Fils, the No. 18 seed, needed to save two set points before closing out a 6-2, 7-6 (8) win over Englishman Cameron Norrie to reach his first Montreal quarter-final. It was the 22-year-old Frenchman’s fourth Masters 1000 quarter-final of the season, after Indian Wells, Miami and Madrid, and his seventh tour-level quarter-final of 2026, his 26th win of the year.
With Rinderknech having fallen to Nakashima in the previous round, Fils is the last Frenchman left in the Montreal draw. He had beaten Argentina’s Mariano Navone 6-3, 6-2 and American Zachary Svajda 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 to reach the fourth round, while Norrie, ranked No. 39, had needed to save a match point to beat No. 3 seed Alex de Minaur of Australia 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-1, before also beating Peruvian Ignacio Buse, the No. 29 seed, 6-3, 6-3, and Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli 7-6 (5), 6-4.
“It was a very, very nice battle against Cam,”File said. “He’s a huge competitor. It was a good first set from my side, and then the second was just back and forth. I got some occasions, I couldn’t get in it. He started to raise his level and play his best at the end. I got a bit tight, started to play very slowly, but happy to get out in two sets, and let’s see against Rafa.”
“The forehand is back,” Fils added. “That feels good. It’s been a long time since I played some matches, so now to be able to play three, four matches in a row, it means a lot, and my level is rising game after game. I’m very confident and very happy with the way I’m playing now, and hopefully it’s going to be better and better.”
Montreal Masters 1000 round of 16 matches
- T. Griekspoor vs D. Merida: Sunday
- L. Tien (12) vs T. Tirante: Sunday
- B. van de Zandschulp vs J. Mensik (13): Sunday
- J. Fonseca (22) vs B. Shelton (5): Sunday
- R. Jodar (20) d. J. Lehecka (8): 6-3, 6-3
- A. Fils (18) d. C. Norrie: 6-2, 7-6 (8)
- L. Darderi (19) d. N. Borges: 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
- B. Nakashima (28) d. A. Rinderknech (23): 7-6(4), 5-7, 7-5
