diff --git a/news/2 Fixes/6990.md b/news/2 Fixes/6990.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..77cdab51a022
--- /dev/null
+++ b/news/2 Fixes/6990.md	
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Add support for the new JUnit XML format used by pytest 5.1+.
diff --git a/src/client/testing/common/xUnitParser.ts b/src/client/testing/common/xUnitParser.ts
index 9467fb6674c8..6078be80f115 100644
--- a/src/client/testing/common/xUnitParser.ts
+++ b/src/client/testing/common/xUnitParser.ts
@@ -59,8 +59,11 @@ export class XUnitParser implements IXUnitParser {
     ) {
         const data = await this.fs.readFile(outputXmlFile);
 
-        const parserResult = await parseXML(data) as { testsuite: TestSuiteResult };
-        updateTests(tests, parserResult.testsuite);
+        const parserResult = await parseXML(data);
+        const junitResults = getJunitResults(parserResult);
+        if (junitResults) {
+            updateTests(tests, junitResults);
+        }
     }
 }
 
@@ -80,6 +83,28 @@ async function parseXML(data: string): Promise<any> {
     });
 }
 
+// Return the actual test results from the given data.
+// tslint:disable-next-line:no-any
+function getJunitResults(parserResult: any): TestSuiteResult | undefined {
+    // This is the newer JUnit XML format (e.g. pytest 5.1 and later).
+    const fullResults = parserResult as { testsuites: { testsuite: TestSuiteResult[] }};
+    if (!fullResults.testsuites) {
+        return (parserResult as { testsuite: TestSuiteResult }).testsuite;
+    }
+
+    const junitSuites = fullResults.testsuites.testsuite;
+    if (!Array.isArray(junitSuites)) {
+        throw Error('bad JUnit XML data');
+    }
+    if (junitSuites.length === 0) {
+        return;
+    }
+    if (junitSuites.length > 1) {
+        throw Error('got multiple XML results');
+    }
+    return junitSuites[0];
+}
+
 // Update "tests" with the given results.
 function updateTests(
     tests: Tests,
diff --git a/src/test/testing/common/xUnitParser.unit.test.ts b/src/test/testing/common/xUnitParser.unit.test.ts
index 9a9b5498b4ca..fc8bf2aa682c 100644
--- a/src/test/testing/common/xUnitParser.unit.test.ts
+++ b/src/test/testing/common/xUnitParser.unit.test.ts
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ suite('Testing - parse JUnit XML file', () => {
         node.line = line;
     }
 
-    test('success with single passing test', async () => {
+    test('legacy - success with single passing test', async () => {
         const tests = createDeclaratively(`
             ./
                 test_spam.py
@@ -72,6 +72,42 @@ suite('Testing - parse JUnit XML file', () => {
         fs.verifyAll();
     });
 
+    test('success with single passing test', async () => {
+        const tests = createDeclaratively(`
+            ./
+                test_spam.py
+                    <Tests>
+                        test_spam
+            `);
+        const expected = createDeclaratively(`
+            ./
+                test_spam.py
+                    <Tests>
+                        test_spam P 0.001
+            `);
+        fixResult(
+            expected.testFunctions[0].testFunction,
+            'test_spam.py',
+            3
+        );
+        const filename = 'x/y/z/results.xml';
+        fs.setup(f => f.readFile(filename))
+            .returns(() => Promise.resolve(`
+                <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
+                <testsuites>
+                    <testsuite errors="0" failures="0" hostname="vm-dev-linux-desktop" name="pytest" skipped="0" tests="1" time="0.011" timestamp="2019-09-05T17:17:35.868863">
+                        <testcase classname="test_spam.Tests" file="test_spam.py" line="3" name="test_spam" time="0.001">
+                        </testcase>
+                    </testsuite>
+                </testsuites>
+            `));
+
+        await parser.updateResultsFromXmlLogFile(tests, filename);
+
+        expect(tests).to.deep.equal(expected);
+        fs.verifyAll();
+    });
+
     test('no discovered tests', async () => {
         const tests: Tests = createEmptyResults();
         const expected: Tests = createEmptyResults();