Reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina moved into the fourth round of the WTA Toronto Masters on Friday, while Canadian Leylah Fernandez delivered a significant upset by eliminating French Open winner Mirra Andreeva. Rybakina, the world number two from Kazakhstan, navigated past American 28th seed Ann Li with a 6-2, 7-5 victory. The match lasted 90 minutes, during which Rybakina successfully converted five of her six break opportunities while defending against two of four break points.
Rybakina, who also holds the 2022 Wimbledon title, is set to face Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova in the round of 16. Samsonova earned her spot by defeating Australian Maya Joint 7-5, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2. Although Samsonova holds a 4-2 career advantage over Rybakina, the Kazakh star has claimed victory in their two most recent encounters, including last year’s final in Strasbourg.
In a standout performance, the 30th-seeded Fernandez dispatched the 19-year-old, fifth-ranked Andreeva 6-1, 6-4 in 80 minutes. This win snapped a seven-match losing streak for the Canadian against top-10 opponents, marking her first such victory since defeating Jessica Pegula during her run to the WTA Washington title last year. “The key for me was to stay positive, stay strong, and to keep being patient,” Fernandez remarked, noting that Andreeva proved to be a difficult opponent who rarely conceded easy points.
Fernandez dominated on serve, winning 24 of 27 points on her first delivery and capitalizing on Andreeva’s second serve to secure 17 of 23 points. Despite Andreeva committing 34 unforced errors, Fernandez remained focused on her physical endurance. “I know I can endure long rallies, long matches,” she added. “So if it’s going to take 100 balls to hit to put it in to break her down, then so be it.”
Next, Fernandez will square off against four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka. The 11th-seeded Japanese player breezed past Belgium’s Elise Mertens 6-1, 6-2 in just 71 minutes, firing seven aces in the process. Osaka and Fernandez have split their two previous meetings, with the Canadian winning at the 2021 US Open and Osaka prevailing in Wuhan last year.
US fourth seed Coco Gauff also advanced, defeating Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-1, 6-4 in 76 minutes. Gauff nearly let a 5-1 second-set lead slip but managed to close out the match with a backhand volley and a service winner. “Her level definitely raised toward the end of that second set but I’m glad I was able to close it out,” Gauff said. She will now meet 19-year-old Russian Alina Korneeva, who reached the last 16 by beating US 13th seed Iva Jovic 6-3, 6-4 after converting seven of eight break points.
Alexandra Eala, the 21-year-old left-hander from the Philippines who claimed her first WTA title in Washington on Monday, continued her momentum by defeating American Caty McNally 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. The match, which spanned two hours and 39 minutes, saw Eala require medical attention for her right ankle while leading 3-2 in the second set. She was broken at love in the sixth game but recovered to seal the win.
In the next round, Eala is scheduled to face Swiss 12th seed Belinda Bencic. Bencic advanced following a grueling three-hour and 24-minute battle against American Taylor Townsend, eventually winning 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.
“It’s tough because she’s lefty,” Osaka said.
“Obviously there aren’t many lefties on tour, so it takes me awhile to get used to that.
Korneeva won seven of eight break points to reach the last 16 after 82 minutes.
I really appreciate that about her.”
World number 20 Eala next faces Swiss 12th seed Belinda Bencic, who outlasted American Taylor Townsend 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 after three hours and 24 minutes.
