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Alex de Minaur blew through the opening set but needed some good luck in the second to emerge with a 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) opening win over James Duckworth on Tuesday at the ATP Montreal Masters.De Minaur, seeded third, hasn't lost to a fellow Aussie in four years, but he was made to work hard by his 86th-ranked compatriot to keep that streak alive.The second-round match turned in an instant in the second-set tiebreaker when a return which rolled off the top of the net handed de Minaur a match point after he saved six set points for his opponent."A little bit of luck went my way in the tiebreaker," de Minaur said. "He was hitting me off the court in the second set, but I got lucky and managed to sneak away with the tiebreaker."Ultimately it was a lot of fighting and competing," added de Minaur, the 2023 runner-up in Canada who married British WTA player Katie Boulter last month.De Minaur said he hasn't given much thought to his solid recent record against fellow Aussies."We're doing our best to make Australia proud," he said. "We have strength in numbers."In other second-round action China's Shang Juncheng - only just returned from months away because of injury - scored the first notable upset of the week with 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7/5) defeat of 10th seed Andrey Rublev.Shang saved five match points, on his way to the third round, breaking Rublev as he served for the match at 5-3 in the third and hanging on to win a seven-deuce service game.Former world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas regained some of the touch lost during a recent rankings slump, with the high-profile qualifier dispatching Martin Damm 6-4, 6-4 in a first-round match delayed by rain.The 98-minute victory sends Tsitsipas into a match with Brazilian Joao Fonseca.The 53rd-ranked Tsitsipas, winner last month in Gstaad, said that his latest coaching split from his father, Apostolos, is paying off."It's a chapter that should have started a long time ago," Tsitsipas said. "I guess I was too patient with my time and too nice with handling certain things, to take so much time to proceed with the change. But it's how life works."Certain things come at a certain time, I'm very Buddhist in that sort of philosophy."The Greek claimed the opening set against Damm and came back from a break down in the second to earn a 5-2 lead and the chance to serve it out.Damm managed to break back before Tsitsipas clinched the victory two games later.Hubert Hurkacz, a 2022 finalist in Montreal who is coming back from a knee injury suffered at Wimbledon, beat Marcos Giron 7-5, 4-6, 6-2.Britain's Jakob Fearnley, who reached the final of a hard court Challenger last month, advanced past French veteran Adrian Mannarino 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, overcoming more than 30 unforced errors to book a meeting with 13th seeded Czech Jakub Mensik.Fellow Brit Jack Draper shed bitter tears as his latest injury comeback collapsed in a 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 loss to France's Terrance Atmane, who delivered an ace on match point.Draper, who had not played a match since Eastbourne in June, was consoled at the net by his victorious opponent.It was more disappointment for Draper after he and new coach Andy Murray travelled to last week's Washington event only for Draper to withdraw as an existing arm injury flared up.Canadian Denis Shapovalov, who reached the final in Los Cabos at the weekend, was disappointed to retire with an ankle injury to hand a 4-6, 6-4, 3-0 victory to Zachary Svajda. 

Ben Shelton doesn't want to miss his chances on court as he begins the defense of his ATP Montreal Masters title with the goal of arriving in full flow at the US Open.With the last major of the season starting on August 31 in New York, the American has programmed a full run-up schedule: Washington last week, Montreal and Cincinnati still to come."Three tournaments is the perfect amount. I'd like to get as many matches as possible," the fifth seed said on a rainy Monday that saw the start of play delayed several hours with more afternoon rain interruptions."I'm the type of player, the more matches I play, the better I play, as long as my body can hold up," Shelton added."It's a great three-tournament run before having a week off leading up to the US Open. I'm just kind of going for it."Among first-round matches completed, French veteran Gael Monfils opened his last Montreal campaign with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Poland's Kamil Majchrzak.Monfils, playing his final season on the ATP Tour, energized the rain-weary late-night crowd, winning four straight games to take a 5-2 lead in the second set.He was broken in his first attempt to serve out the match but made no mistake on his second, advancing to a second-round meeting with 12th-seeded Learner Tien."I felt like I played well," Monfils said."I was serving really good, tried to be very accurate with my first serve and then second serve tried to be super aggressive and then use my forehand. I felt more and more I could hold his pace."Monfils, coming off a first-round exit at Roland Garros, needed one hour and 38 minutes to dispatch Majchrzak, who won his first ATP title at s-Hertogenbosch in June.Italy's former top 10 contender Matteo Berrettini, coming back from an abdominal injury, played his first match since Wimbledon and lost 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 to Argentine Mariano Navone.The 12-day event is missing world number one Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.Roland Garros champion and Wimbledon finalist Alexander Zverev is the top seed ahead of Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.Shelton, the ATP number 10 who reached last week's Washington quarters, is not bothered by the extra length of the tournament which continues to spark criticism.Shelton's best swing"The two-week tournaments - I think there's a lack of sustainability, for sure, but I don't know if there's a different way to go about it," he said."Jannik knows himself. Novak knows himself. Maybe I would do the same thing if I had won Wimbledon - I didn't."It's tough to criticize those guys for the decisions that they make throughout the season when they're trying to sustain a level and maintain their health."At the same time, for me, this is one of my favorite parts of the year, one of my best swings, and I don't want to miss out on playing any of these tournaments."Shelton said that he does not dwell on the 1,000 ranking points he needs to defend in Canada from his 2025 victory."If you're always thinking about defending or what week that you made points or didn't make points, it's easy to kind of get lost in your mind," he said."That's why I like to just think about my body of work for this year, 2026, what I'm doing and what I want to accomplish by the end of the year."To get another opportunity to be playing really good tennis leading into the US Open is kind of my main goal here."I'm looking forward to getting out there again." 

Former world number three Stefanos Tsitsipas regained some of the touch lost during a recent rankings slump, with the high-profile qualifier dispatching Martin Damm 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday at the Montreal Masters.The 98-minute first-round win sends Tsitsipas into a match with Brazilian Joao Fonseca.The 53rd-ranked Tsitsipas, winner last month in Gstaad, said that a coaching change - he split from his father Apostolos for a second time - is paying off now that he is under the guidance of coaches from Patrick Mouratoglou's French academy."It's a chapter that should have started a long time ago," Tsitsipas said. "I guess I was too patient with my time and too nice with handling certain things, to take so much time to proceed with the change. But it's how life works.""Certain things come at a certain time, I'm very Buddhist in that sort of philosophy."Now we are here, and we are doing it the way I like it. I want it to be done. I want it to be done with a coach that I am happy with right now ... someone that I trust."The Greek claimed the opening set against Damm and came back from a break down in the second to earn a 5-2 lead and the chance to serve it out.But the Czech managed to break back, forcing Tsitsipas to clinch victory two games later on a forehand winner."I need to focus and concentrate, and that's what I was trying to do out there today, trying to keep it locked in as much as I could and not let any distractions get in the way," Tsitsipas, 27, said."Tennis is about milliseconds, getting properly behind the ball and being constantly well positioned. I need to focus on how to do that in the best possible way."I felt in control up two breaks, but things got tough. I have nothing to regret, I was able to fight my way through the match. I took a good grip to close it out."Hubert Hurkacz a 2022 finalist in Montreal who is coming back from a knee injury suffered at Wimbledon, returned with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 win over Marcos Giron.Britain's Jakob Fearnley, who reached the final of a hard court Challenger last month, advanced past French veteran Adrian Mannarino 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, overcoming more than 30 unforced errors to book a meeting with 13th seeded Czech Jakub Mensik. 

Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic have pulled out of next month's ATP Montreal Masters, organizers Tennis Canada said Friday.In a packed schedule, world number one Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic both had deep runs at Wimbledon earlier this month, where Italian Sinner won the men's title and Serbian Djokovic reached the semi-finals."After carefully considering all the factors together with my team, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw from Montreal," Sinner said in a statement."It is never easy to miss such an important event, but we believe this is the right decision to prioritize my health."The Montreal men's event, which takes place August 1-13, is an ATP Masters 1000 tournament, and a key pre-US Open stopping point.The parallel women's WTA 1000 tournament takes place this year in Toronto, with the two competitions switching between the cities on alternate years.Organizers expressed disappointment at the last-minute withdrawals, noting that the two men also pulled out of last year's event in Toronto."We respect their decisions and understand that, with such a demanding schedule, players' health must remain the priority," tournament director Valerie Tetreault said in a statement."That said, we believe the frequency of these last-minute withdrawals in the last few years raises a broader issue for our sport.""Masters 1000 events are among the flagship tournaments on the tour, and fans rightfully expect to see the world's best compete."Tetreault said organizers are in discussions with the ATP over "adjustments" that are "needed in the near future to better protect the integrity of our Masters 1000 events while remaining mindful of the realities players face."World number two Alexander Zverev - this year's French Open champion and Wimbledon finalist - is now expected to be the Montreal top seed, followed by Quebec native Felix Auger-Aliassime.Third-ranked Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz had already withdrawn from Montreal over a lingering wrist injury.He is targeting a return at the Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 tournament, which begins immediately after Montreal.The US Open, the year's final Grand Slam, starts on August 30 in New York. 

A single sentence from celebrated Canadian author Margaret Atwood became the starting point for a conversation that now stretches across continents: “In the end, we all become stories.” For Qatari calligraphy and calligraffiti artist Fatima Alsharshani, Atwood’s words were more than a literary quote. They inspired a striking public mural unveiled at Montreal’s Mural Festival, where Arabic calligraphy flows across a contemporary urban canvas to explore memory, identity and the traces people leave behind. Presented as part of the Qatar Canada and Mexico 2026 Year of Culture, the mural brought a contemporary Qatari artistic voice to one of North America’s most prominent public art festivals. Every year, Montreal’s Saint-Laurent Boulevard is transformed into an open-air gallery, drawing internationally renowned artists and thousands of visitors who experience public art beyond the walls of traditional museums. Alsharshani told Gulf Times that Atwood’s words resonated because they express a truth shared by everyone, regardless of language or culture. “Margaret Atwood’s words resonated with me because they capture something very universal,” she said. “They are simple, but they carry the weight of an entire lifetime.” Alsharshani believes every individual leaves behind traces through the choices they make, the people they meet and the impact they have on others. The quote, she pointed out, became an invitation to think about memory, legacy and what remains after a person’s lifetime.“We all leave behind traces of ourselves through the choices we make, the people we connect with, and the impact we have on others,” Alsharshani explained. “The mural became a way to invite people to pause and think about the story they are creating.” Known for blending Arabic calligraphy with contemporary street art, Alsharshani approached the project as an opportunity to merge heritage with a modern artistic expression that engages audiences in public spaces. “Arabic calligraphy has always been a meaningful artistic language for me because it carries both beauty and depth,” she said. “The letters themselves have movement, rhythm and emotion.” Rather than presenting calligraphy solely as a traditional art form, Alsharshani sought to place it within a contemporary urban environment, where it could engage viewers who might never have encountered Arabic script before. “In this mural, I wanted to bring together the heritage of Arabic calligraphy with the openness and accessibility of contemporary street art. Public art has the ability to reach people in unexpected ways,” she said. For Alsharshani, combining these artistic traditions was about more than aesthetics: it was about building connections across cultures through ideas that resonate universally. “The goal was to use Arabic calligraphy and this universal message to bridge between cultures,” she said. “The theme of stories and legacy is something universal, and I wanted the artwork to create a connection between my cultural background and the experiences shared by people everywhere.” Representing Qatar at Montreal’s Mural Festival also carried special significance. Alsharshani views Arabic calligraphy as a living art form that continues to evolve while remaining rooted in centuries of tradition.While Arabic calligraphy has a long and rich history, she believes it continues to find new forms of expression in today’s creative landscape. “I see my work as part of that evolution – respecting the foundations of calligraphy while exploring how it can exist in new spaces and conversations,” she said. By bringing the artwork to Montreal, Alsharshani hopes audiences will see Arabic calligraphy not only as an artistic tradition but also as a vibrant contemporary practice capable of speaking across cultures. “Art creates opportunities for connection without needing translation,” she said, adding: “Through this mural, I hope people can discover something from my culture while also finding their own personal connection to the themes of memory, identity and storytelling.” Ultimately, Alsharshani hopes the mural encourages quiet reflection rather than offering definitive answers. “I hope people take a moment to reflect on their own journey and the stories they are creating. The mural is not meant to provide one answer, it is meant to encourage a personal reflection,” the artist said. Alsharshani believes legacy is often found not only in remarkable accomplishments but also in everyday acts of kindness, relationships and the influence people have on one another. “If someone stands in front of this artwork and begins thinking about what they want their story to represent, then the mural has achieved its purpose. It becomes not just something to look at, but something to think about,” she said. Alsharshani’s participation in the festival also marks the beginning of a new artistic exchange between Qatar and Canada.The collaboration grew from a chance meeting in Doha in December 2025, when Mural Festival founder and LNDMRK lead Nicolas Munn Rico visited Qatar during the World Wide Walls street art festival. Conversations between the two organisations evolved into a partnership focused on artist exchange, opening opportunities for creatives from both countries to engage with new audiences and communities.

Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko finished last year ranked 350th in the world but she is now just outside the top 20 and determined to move "onwards and upwards" next season.The 19-year-old won her first WTA title at her home Canadian Open in August, beating top seed Coco Gauff in the last 16 before downing former world number one Naomi Osaka in the final.Mboko is competing at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo this week and started her campaign with a 6-3, 6-3 win over compatriot Bianca Andreescu on Tuesday.Mboko, now ranked 23 in the world, said her breakthrough year had been "crazy"."I can look back and at least feel good about what I've been able to do," the teenager said."I would have never thought at all that I'd be where I am today."It's just building onwards and upwards, and hopefully for next year I can build some sort of momentum and keep it very positive within myself," she added.Mboko went through a slump after winning the title in Montreal, losing in the first round at her next four tournaments without even taking a set.Her first-round win in Tokyo ended that run and she said she "didn't really feel any doubts" that she would turn it around."I always look on the positive side of things and I think going into the match I just wanted to be very happy with the way I play and stay true to how I'm supposed to play," she said."It does feel a little bit of a relief though, to kind of get that out of the way and try to build momentum on it."Mboko was back on court two hours after her singles win over Andreescu, partnering with her beaten opponent to progress to the women's doubles quarter-finals.Mboko said she was learning from Andreescu, who won the 2019 US Open but has struggled badly with injuries and form and is now ranked 172nd."She's experienced so many of the same things that I've experienced this year," Mboko said of Andreescu, whose three career titles all came in 2019."It can be difficult a little bit, trying to bounce back and trying to find your way after having a big result like that.""Her being here helps me, when I talk with her sometimes it helps me find a little bit of peace of mind," she added.Mboko was born in the United States to parents fleeing political turmoil in the Democratic Republic of Congo, before settling in Toronto.She is the youngest of four siblings, all of whom play tennis.She says she does not watch much tennis in her spare time, "unless I'm really trying to learn something".She is more interested in her hometown Toronto Blue Jays baseball team, who booked their place at the World Series for the first time in 32 years earlier in the day."It's amazing, I love it," she said."I'm not really a baseball enthusiast but I only follow the Blue Jays for a reason."I'm just cheering from afar as much as I can."

Dubai-based logistics company DP World Ltd is negotiating for a contract to operate a new container terminal that will increase the Montreal Port Authority’s capacity by more than 50%.The new Contrecoeur terminal will sit on the St. Lawrence River, just northeast of the city of Montreal, Canada’s second-largest urban area. Construction may start as soon as September on the project, which is expected to cost nearly C$1.6bn ($1.2bn) and has a target date for completion in 2029.“There’s a competitive process going on and we’re definitely in discussions,” DP World Canada Inc Chief Executive Officer Douglas Smith told Bloomberg News.DP World is one of the world’s largest opera-tors of container ports, and it has a strong link to Quebec — the Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec is among its largest financial partners. La Caisse holds stakes in several DP assets, including 45% of the Canadian subsidiary.The terminal project has been under consideration since the 1980s, when the port authority bought the land in Contrecoeur, and has been the subject of detailed planning for a dozen years. Costs ballooned and demand fluctuated, but the governments of Canada and Quebec now want to see it built as part of efforts to in-crease trade with Europe amid trade tensions with the US — committing more than half a billion dollars to the project.“It checks a lot of boxes,” Charles Emond, chief executive officer of La Caisse, said in an interview. “This is something that would be considered strategic in Quebec. We like infrastructure, we’re good in ports, we have expertise, we have the operator.”The Port of Montreal’s current capacity of 2.1mn containers annually may be fully reached by 2030, and the new terminal would be able to handle 1.15mn containers of volume.A spokesperson for DP World in Canada said that “while we see strong potential for developing logistics infrastructure in Montreal that drives economic growth and long-term value, we have no announcements to share at this time.” Prime Minister Mark Carney promoted the Contrecoeur terminal project this week during a press conference, along with a potential port expansion in Churchill, Manitoba, that might eventually be able to export liquefied natural gas.“The No. 1 focus of this government is to build that infrastructure, and particularly infrastructure that helps us deepen our partnership with our European partners,” Carney told reporters in Germany.The Montreal Port Authority has said the trade war with the US led companies to reassess ex-port markets in the first half of the year, with 22% more goods going to China during the period. Exports to Spain and northern Europe also rose.“The expansion of the Port of Montreal in Contrecoeur is a major strategic asset for in-creasing the resilience and fluidity of supply chains throughout Eastern Canada. In this perspective, we are currently in discussions with a private partner and investor, whose identity will remain confidential until an agreement is signed,” said Renee Larouche, director of communications with the Montreal Port Authority.Montreal is Canada’s biggest eastern container port and its second-largest overall, after Vancouver.