Canada's Martin falls in straight sets in opening round of National Bank Open

TORONTO - Canadian qualifier Dan Martin's unexpected journey to the opening round of the National Bank Open ended Monday when he dropped a 6-3, 6-0 decision to Spain's Jaume Munar.

Martin, ranked 560th in the world, was given a wild-card entry into the 32-man qualifier and upset Japan's Taro Daniel over the weekend to secure his first ATP Tour main draw appearance.

The 26-year-old from Laval, Que., was given the opening time-slot on centre court but struggled with his serve against the 51st-ranked Munar, who won the last 10 games of the 70-minute match.

"It was the first time playing in front of such a big crowd," Martin said. "Honestly, I'm happy with how I played and look forward to seeing how this season goes for me."

In the evening session, Canadian wild-card entry Liam Draxl of Newmarket, Ont., dropped a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 decision to Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta.

As a junior, Martin reached the final of the under-16 Canadian championship and took third place at the U18 national playdowns. He played college tennis at Dartmouth and the University of Miami and is now a regular at Challenger events throughout North America.

Martin, who played earlier this month in Laval, Granby, Que., and Newport, R.I., was preparing for another stop on the lower-level tour when he got word of the wild-card invite at the Masters 1000 event.

"I found out relatively late," he said. "I was actually away playing, practising for another tournament. I drove 14 hours to Illinois, hoping to play a tournament. Then I found out about the wild card, so I had to drive another 10 hours back.

"So that was interesting. Honestly, when I found out, I was super excited and honestly, it's a life experience."

Over the weekend, Martin surprised the 156th-ranked Daniel in a rain-delayed three-set match. The Canadian was serving at deuce when play was postponed Saturday at 5-5 in the third set. 

When the match resumed Sunday morning, Martin held serve and then broke Daniel for the win.

"Obviously a difficult night of sleep, just kind of visualizing the end of the match, the next couple points," Martin said. "But yeah, I really visualized a lot and it worked out well."

On a hot, sunny afternoon at Sobeys Stadium, Martin saved his first break point against Munar for a 3-2 lead before things unravelled. The Canadian's serve was broken five straight times by the 51st-ranked Spaniard. 

Munar, who won 86 per cent of his first-serve points, will next face 14th-seeded Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina. Martin, meanwhile, won just 40 per cent of his first-serve points. 

"It's a new experience for me," Martin said. "So I'm really happy to have experienced it and played in front of a home crowd."

By reaching the first round, he'll pocket US$23,760 for the biggest payday of his pro career.

"This is definitely big," he said. "It's going to be helpful for at least a couple months, for sure."

With all 32 seeded players idle, Monday's schedule at the newly expanded tournament included several qualifiers, wild-card entries and lucky losers.

Among the notable results, Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate beat rising Brazilian teenage star Joao Fonseca 7-6 (5), 6-4 and American Mackenzie McDonald topped Belgium's David Goffin 6-4, 6-4. 

In the late match, Canadian wild-card entry Alexis Galarneau of Laval, Que., was to meet Arthur Rinderknech of France.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025.