The 2025 Canadian Open got off to a rocky start, and poor decision-making saw the tournament finish on a sour note.
Tournament organizers must have had their heads in their hands when several top ATP and WTA players announced their withdrawal from the event.
World number ones Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka chose to skip the event, as did Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
However, despite the weakened fields, the men and women put on a show in both tournaments, as the likes of Ben Shelton, Naomi Osaka, and home favorite Victoria Mboko all impressed.
Both finals: Shelton vs Karen Khachanov and Osaka vs Mboko, were won in three sets, as fans in attendance enjoyed some thrilling action in Canada.
Unfortunately, an inexcusable decision from tournament organizers meant fans watching at home were unable to enjoy both finals.
Canadian Open organizers made a mistake scheduling both finals on the same day
Due to the packed tennis schedule, the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open tournaments overlap.
Before the Canadian Open finals were played, the first round matches were well underway in Cincinnati.
To fit two tournaments in such a tight schedule, the finals in Toronto and Montreal were both played on a Thursday, compared to the usual Saturday (Women’s), Sunday (Men’s) finals.
The Montreal (Women’s) final was scheduled to begin two hours before the Toronto (Men’s) final, although as Osaka and Mboko went the distance, disaster struck.
When Canadian star Mboko converted match point to clinch her maiden WTA title with a three-set win over Osaka, fans erupted in both Montreal and Toronto.
Those celebrations left Khachanov and Shelton confused, as their match was briefly interrupted at 4-3 in the first set.
Unaware as to why the fans suddenly erupted with cheers, Shelton asked chair umpire Fergus Murphy what was going on.
After a quick explanation, Shelton returned to the baseline as play resumed in the Toronto final.
There were no hard feelings, as Shelton congratulated Mboko after their victories on social media, claiming he had ‘no idea what was going on’.
However, whilst the players didn’t take issue with the celebrations, the fact that both finals were played at the same time surely could’ve been prevented.
If one final had been played slightly earlier, and the other slightly later, then fans both in Canada and around the world could’ve enjoyed both contests without interruption.
Instead, fans were made to choose whether they would rather watch the men’s final or the women’s final, a decision tournament organizers could have avoided.
It is, of course, in the Canadian Open’s best interest for as many fans to watch both finals as possible; therefore, the decision doesn’t make much sense.
Perhaps the overlap was unavoidable for logistical reasons, and maybe the organizers should be cut some slack, although it was certainly a bad look for the event to have both finals played at the same time.
Will the Cincinnati Open finals be played on the same day?
Fans frustrated with the decision in Canada won’t be happy to hear the same is planned for the ongoing Cincinnati Open tournament.
Both finals will be played on Monday, August 18, but it is important to note that the specific times haven’t been set.
Therefore, organizers in Cincinnati could well learn the lesson from the Canadian Open and adjust the schedule to prevent the finals from overlapping.
The overlapping finals were bad in Canada, but doing the same in Cincinnati could be much worse, with the top players returning to action.
There is a real possibility that the following two finals take place in Ohio, as fans certainly wouldn’t want to miss either clash.
- [1] Jannik Sinner v [2] Carlos Alcaraz
- [1] Aryna Sabalenka v [2] Coco Gauff
The two biggest rivalries in tennis today could see another installment written in Cincinnati, as Sinner, Alcaraz, and Sabalenka return to action.
Only time will tell if they make it all the way to the final, but it will be interesting to see if the organizers take any preventive measures to stop the two matches from overlapping on Monday, August 18.
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