A host of rising tennis stars are making their mark at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers in Montreal, where they have etched their names into ATP Tour history.
Ben Shelton, Learner Tien, Jakub Mensik, Arthur Fils, Luciano Darderi, Rafael Jodar, Brandon Nakashima and Daniel Merida make up the quarter-final lineup at the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 event, marking the first time an ATP Tour quarter-final has featured eight players all born in the 2000s.
Montreal 2026 Quarter-Final Lineup
| Player | YOB | Age | Tour-Level Titles |
| Brandon Nakashima | 2001 | 25 | 1 |
| Luciano Darderi | 2002 | 24 | 5 |
| Ben Shelton | 2002 | 23 | 6 |
| Arthur Fils | 2004 | 22 | 4 |
| Daniel Merida | 2004 | 21 | 1 |
| Jakub Mensik | 2005 | 20 | 2 |
| Learner Tien | 2005 | 20 | 2 |
| Rafael Jodar | 2006 | 19 | 1 |
The previous record was set in Estoril three weeks ago, where seven of the eight quarter-finalists were born in the 2000s, with Andrey Rublev (1997) the only exception. In Montreal, it is also the first time since Paris in 2007 that all eight quarter-finalists at an ATP Tour event are 25-and-under.
Defending champion Shelton, who claimed the biggest title of his career last year when the event was held in Toronto, is the highest-ranked player remaining in the draw. The No. 10 in the PIF ATP Rankings trails Mensik 1-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series heading into their last-eight clash.
At 19, Jodar is the youngest player remaining in Montreal. The Spaniard has enjoyed a meteoric rise in 2026, capturing his first ATP Tour title in Marrakech before climbing to a career-high World No. 15. At this time last year, the Madrid native was ranked outside the world’s Top 500.
Jodar will face 22-year-old Fils in a clash between two of the most exciting young talents on the ATP Tour. Fils has also enjoyed a strong season, lifting a tour-level trophy in Barcelona, and the pair are both in contention to make their Nitto ATP Finals debuts. Jodar is currently 10th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, with Fils 13th.
View PIF ATP Live Race To Turin here
The Montreal quarter-final draw also features two former Next Gen ATP Finals champions. Nakashima, now 25, triumphed at the 20-and-under event in 2022, while 20-year-old Tien lifted the trophy last December. Nakashima takes on 19th seed Darderi in Canada, while Tien faces Merida.
Merida, 21, captured his first ATP Tour title in Umag last month and, with his run in Montreal, has guaranteed a rise into the world’s Top 50 for the first time when the rankings are updated. Darderi is a five-time ATP Tour champion, although all five of his titles have come on clay.
*Research for this story was provided by Jon Jeraj
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