MONTREAL — Rain continued to wreak havoc Monday at the National Bank Open in Montreal to further disrupt a backlogged men’s schedule. A downpour that started before play was to get underway at 11 a.m. local time prompted officials to delay until noon, and then push the start time back again. The tennis tournament was already scrambling after Sunday’s wet weather allowed the completion of just two of 14 scheduled first-round singles matches. In an effort to catch up, organizers loaded Monday’s schedule with 27 first-round singles matches, including those involving Alexis Galarneau of Laval, Que., and Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo. Galarneau and Diallo were scheduled to play their matches on Centre Court on Sunday night before the entire session was cancelled. So Galarneau was rescheduled to face Czechia’s Vit Kopriva and Diallo to meet French qualifier Kyrian Jacquet later Monday afternoon. Liam Draxl of Newmarket, Ont., was also scheduled to play his first-round match Monday against Spaniard Daniel Merida. The night session’s highlight was to be Frenchman Gael Monfils versus Poland’s Kamil Majchrzak. Monfils, a fan favourite in Montreal, announced last year that 2026 will be his final year on tour. The 39-year-old has made 15 appearances at the National Bank Open, including eight in Montreal. The evening session was to conclude with American qualifier Martin Damm facing former world No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece. Both Damm and Tsitsipas won in straight sets Saturday to punch their ticket into the 96-man main draw. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2026. Jordan Stoopler, The Canadian Press
