TORONTO – Aryna Sabalenka is out of the National Bank Open.
The No. 2 seed and third-ranked player in the world was upset 6-4, 6-2 by Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. in Saturday’s quarterfinals at a windswept Sobeys Stadium.
Sabalenka, the two-time defending Australian Open champion, lost to the world No. 132 for a fifth time in seven meetings.
Anisimova broke her Belarusian opponent up 5-4 in the first set when Sabalenka fired long and slammed her racket to the court in frustration.
Anisimova broke Sabalenka again for a 4-2 lead in the second set when she sent a shot into the net. The 22-year-old American held serve to take a 5-2 lead.
Sabalenka, who withdrew from Wimbledon with a shoulder injury and skipped the Paris Olympics, then committed her eighth and final double fault of the match down love-40 to seal Anisimova’s first trip to a WTA 1000 semifinal.
She will face Emma Navarro on Sunday after the No. 8 seed downed U.S. counterpart Taylor Townsend 6-3, 7-6 (5).
“It was really tough,” Navarro, who also made her first WTA 1000 semi, said of the conditions. “The wind was swirling.”
Defending champion and No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula was slated to face Peyton Stearns later Saturday in another all-American matchup.
The five U.S.-born women in the final eight are the most at a WTA 1000 event since the format’s inception in 2009, and the most at any tour event since 2001.
“I had the opportunity to play Billie Jean King Cup earlier this year, and then the Olympics a couple weeks ago, and spend some more time with my fellow Americans,” said Navarro, 23. “It’s been really cool getting to know them better, and for sure seeing their success.”
No. 14 Diana Shnaider, who knocked off top seed Coco Gauff of the U.S. on Friday, was scheduled to take on fellow Russian and No. 6 seed Liudmila Samsonova in the late match of the US$3.2-million event.
Pegula beat Samsonova in last year’s final in Montreal.
Townsend’s unlikely run as a “lucky loser” — the first to make a WTA 1000 quarterfinal — at Canada’s tennis championship came to an end on Centre Court after entering the draw as an injury replacement.
She then advanced when No. 16 seed Dayana Yastremska retired from their match before upsetting No. 4 Jelena Ostapenko.
“This week has been amazing,” said the 28-year-old Townsend. “It’s not anything shy of what I believe that I could do. I know that it’s in my capability to capitalize on the opportunities that I have and play the tennis that I played, and even better.”
All of Canada’s singles entries were eliminated earlier in the week — both here in Toronto and at the men’s event in Montreal — but the doubles bracket still has plenty of red Maple Leafs dotting the page.
Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., and younger sister Bianca beat France’s Kristina Mladenovic and China’s Zhang Shuai 5-7, 7-5 [12-10] in the quarter, guaranteeing a least one Canadian in Monday’s final.
Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe and wild-card entry Mia Kupres of Edmonton and Ariana Arseneault of Richmond Hill, Ont., played later Saturday for the right to face the Fernandez sisters.
The finals at this year’s NBO tournament are being played Monday instead of the traditional Sunday slot because of Olympic-related scheduling.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2024.
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