Top-ranked global star Aryna Sabalenka suffered a defeat at the hands of Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova, the tournament’s 16th seed, during their fourth-round clash at the WTA Toronto Masters on Saturday.
The Russian player overcame the four-time Major champion from Belarus with a scoreline of 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-4, wrapping up the victory in two hours and 29 minutes to secure her spot in the final eight.
With this loss, Sabalenka—who is aiming for a third straight US Open crown next month—sees her head-to-head record against Alexandrova level out at 5-5. The victorious Russian is set to encounter either the eighth-seeded American Amanda Anisimova or the ninth-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in the upcoming quarter-final round.
In the first set, Sabalenka secured an early break to go up 2-0 before dropping four straight games, but she managed to hold serve and break back to level the score at 4-4 with a successful forehand drop volley.
Consecutive breaks of serve ensued as Sabalenka double-faulted in the 11th game and Alexandrova did the same in the 12th, sending the opening set into a tie-breaker.
Alexandrova claimed five out of the final six points to wrap up the first set, capitalizing when Sabalenka pulled a crosscourt forehand wide of the line.
During the second set, Alexandrova sent a forehand deep to give away a crucial service break, putting Sabalenka ahead 4-3. The top-seeded Belarusian subsequently held her next two service games to push the match into a third set.
A netted forehand from Sabalenka gifted Alexandrova a break and a 3-1 lead in the final set, though the Russian quickly gave the advantage back with a double fault in the seventh game.
Serving in the 10th game, Sabalenka committed three unforced mistakes, handing Alexandrova a series of break and match points.
The world number one managed to fend off the first match point with an unreturnable serve and erased the second with an ace.
However, after pushing a backhand long of the baseline, the Belarusian committed her sixth and final double fault of the contest to seal her defeat.
Commenting after her win, Alexandrova noted, “I went into this match without any real expectations. When I stepped onto the court, I was fully aware of how incredibly tough it would be.”
“My strategy was to take as many risks as I could, since that seemed like my only path to generating opportunities. Although it led to a higher number of errors, it also allowed me to carve out far more chances.”
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