Friday's action in the ATP 1000 event in Toronto did not bring any significant upsets, as all the favorites moved steadily into the Round of 16. The matches, however, were far from one-sided, with five out of seven ties being settled in three sets.

Shelton survives All-American clash

Ben Shelton survived a super challenging showdown against his fellow countryman Brandon Nakashima, sealing the advance into the Round of 16 after a third-set tiebreak. The match was a contrast of styles, with Shelton taking the initiative, striking the ball aggressively, and dominating on serve with 19 aces. Nakashima, though less explosive, stayed composed in defense and baseline rallies, keeping both the first and third sets close. The second set was dominated by Shelton, who secured two breaks.

Nakashima started the decider with an early break (the only one against Shelton that night), but the pre-match favorite recovered the deficit and even had two match points at 5-4. After missing those chances, Shelton led from the start of the decisive tiebreak and closed the match after more than 2.5 hours of battle, having tallied 46 winners.

Fritz and Fokina cruise

Taylor Fritz, another American favorite, moved through with a routine 6-4 6-2 victory over Gabriel Diallo. The last-standing Canadian in the draw didn’t offer much resistance, especially when compared to their five-set thriller at Wimbledon just a month ago. Fritz faced only five pressure points on serve, saving the lone breakpoint he faced.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina joined the list of straight-set winners on Friday, defeating Jakub Mensik 6-2 6-4. The Spaniard continued his great form after finishing runner-up in Washington last week. He was clinical, converting all four break points and committing only 16 unforced errors to Mensik’s 32.

Round of 16 Preview - Statistical Breakdown

Alex de Minaur had a walkover in the Round of 32 after Christopher O’Connell withdrew due to an abdominal injury following his win over Stefanos Tsitsipas. De Minaur now faces Frances Tiafoe, who struggled in both his matches so far, needing three sets against Yosuke Watanuki and Aleksandar Vukic. With a title in Washington last week and some needed rest, the Aussie enters Sunday’s match as the favorite.


Ben Shelton meets Fabio Cobolli, who is not a hard court specialist. The Italian 17th seed secured just his sixth win on hard courts this year, reaching his first Round of 16 with a three-set win over Fabian Marozsan. Statistically, this is the most uneven match-up of the round, with Shelton being a strong favorite.


Alejandro Davidovich Fokina faces Andrey Rublev in an intriguing encounter. Rublev advanced after coming back from a set down (5-7 6-4 6-3), notching 29 winners and six aces. While Rublev leads their head-to-head 5-1, Davidovich Fokina ended the losing streak this year in Madrid. Rublev’s serving gives him a slight edge, but Fokina’s aggressive return game could neutralize it.


Taylor Fritz is the statistical favorite over Jiri Lehecka, although their styles are very similar, particularly in serve metrics. Lehecka has had a solid 2025, including a title in Brisbane and a runner-up finish at Queen’s Club.

Looking Ahead

All matches in the bottom half will be played on Sunday. To read the preview of Saturday’s top-half action, visit: Top Half Round of 16 Preview