Gauff, Sabalenka advance in Toronto, Osaka loses

The National Bank Open in Toronto featured an exciting day of tennis on Thursday, with the top two seeds Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka advancing to the third round, while Naomi Osaka made an early exit.

Coco Gauff’s Tough Victory

Top seed Coco Gauff kicked off her North American summer campaign with a challenging win over China’s Wang Yafan, securing a 6-4 6-4 triumph in the second round. Despite the close score, Gauff faced strong resistance from world No. 72 Wang, who had previously defeated Sofia Kenin, a former Australian Open champion, in the previous round.

Although Gauff, the world No. 2, started the match strongly by taking a 4-1 lead in the opening set, Wang fought back to level the score at 4-4, pushing Gauff to elevate her game. Gauff responded by winning five consecutive games, clinching the set and taking control of the match. Gauff’s ability to perform under pressure was evident as she secured the victory in 1 hour and 28 minutes, marking her fourth consecutive year with an opening-round win at the Canadian Open.

Reflecting on her performance, Gauff acknowledged the challenge of transitioning back to hard courts after competing on clay at the Paris Olympics. “I made more errors than usual, but overall, I think I constructed points well,” Gauff remarked. Despite a shaky start, she was satisfied with her improvement as the match progressed.

Sabalenka’s Strong Return

Second seed Aryna Sabalenka continued her successful comeback to hard courts by defeating No. 42 Yuan Yue with a score of 6-2 6-2. Despite missing Wimbledon due to a shoulder injury, Sabalenka showed no signs of rust in her second hard-court tournament of the season, dominating her opponent in one hour and 21 minutes.

Sabalenka expressed relief at being able to play without fearing re-injury. “Now I feel much better with my shoulder,” she stated. “I understand that I don’t need to be cautious, it’s healed, I can play freely without worrying about getting injured again.” With her shoulder concern resolved, Sabalenka is focused on reaching her first hard-court final since January.

The world No. 3 will go up against Great Britain’s Katie Boulter in the third round as she aims for a deep run in Toronto.

Osaka’s Defeat to Mertens

Former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka was defeated by Belgium’s Elise Mertens, with a score of 6-3 6-4. Mertens capitalized on Osaka’s inconsistent play, especially her errors from the baseline, to secure a spot in the Round of 16.

This loss marks Mertens’ second win over Osaka this season, with a previous victory in straight sets at Indian Wells. While Osaka had avenged that loss on grass at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, she couldn’t replicate that success on the hard courts in Toronto.

Other Exciting Matches

In other matches at the tournament, former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka made a comeback against Greet Minnen, winning 3-6 7-5 6-1 to advance to the next round. No. 4 seed Jelena Ostapenko also survived a tough match, defeating Spain’s Paula Badosa 3-6 7-6(3) 6-2 in the second round. After eliminating the recent Washington titleholder, Ostapenko will face lucky loser Taylor Townsend, with their only previous encounter at the 2018 US Open resulting in a win for Ostapenko.

No. 8 seed Emma Navarro and No. 11 seed Marta Kostyuk secured spots in the third round, setting up their first meeting. Navarro defeated Magda Linette 6-2 6-4, while Kostyuk overcame her compatriot Elina Svitolina 6-2 2-6 6-2. Svitolina, the 2017 titleholder, couldn’t replicate her past success.