Ekaterina Alexandrov took down four-time Grand Slam singles champion Aryna Sabalenka in a three-set marathon in Toronto.

World number one ‌Aryna Sabalenka suffered a setback in her US Open ⁠build-up after ⁠she was beaten 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-4 by Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova in the fourth round of the Canadian Open ⁠in Toronto on Saturday.

The 16th-seeded Alexandrova fought a hard battle, lasting nearly two and a half hours, to secure her quarterfinal berth.

  • list 1 of 4Arsenal complete signing of Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes
  • list 2 of 4Top players to watch in the 2026-27 European football season
  • list 3 of 4Lionel Messi returns to Argentina after father Jorge’s death
  • list 4 of 4FIFA President Gianni Infantino denies claims UEFA paid off alleged lover

Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam champion and reigning US Open winner, recovered from a set down to force a decider but was unable to halt Alexandrova’s aggressive shot-making in the final set.

The Belarusian ‌broke early in the opening set before Alexandrova rallied to force a tiebreak, which the Russian won to move ahead.

Sabalenka responded by seizing control of the second set with a break for a 4-3 lead before serving out to level the match.

Alexandrova held her nerve in the decider as ⁠Sabalenka’s error count rose. Serving to stay ⁠in the match at 4-5, the top seed saved two match points, but a double fault on the third handed victory to the Russian.

“I just tried to ⁠play every single point as if it was the last one because with her, you ⁠don’t [get] a lot of chances during ⁠the match,” Alexandrova said in her on-court interview.

“Honestly, I was trying not to think about the score or anything. Just hit the ball, and that’s it.

“I’m super ‌happy that I could win because after the second set, I thought (the chance) was already past me.”

Alexandrova will face Ukraine’s Elina ‌Svitolina, ‌who defeated American eighth seed Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 6-4 for a place in the semifinals.

Aryna Sabalenka congratulates Ekaterina Alexandrova, right, on her fourth-round victory at the Canadian Open, August 8, 2026

Aryna Sabalenka congratulates Ekaterina Alexandrova, right, on her fourth-round victory at the Canadian Open, August 8, 2026 [John E Sokolowski/Imagn Images via Reuters]

Source note

First published by Al Jazeera

This article was supplied by Al Jazeera through its RSS feed and formatted for Crooli Signal. The reporting remains with the original publisher.

Read the original at Al Jazeera