In an exciting day at the WTA Toronto Masters, reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina continued her impressive form by advancing to the fourth round, while French Open winner Mirra Andreeva faced an early exit at the hands of Canada's Leylah Fernandez.
World number two Rybakina, hailing from Kazakhstan, showcased her skills against American 28th seed Ann Li, winning decisively with a score of 6-2, 7-5 in a match that lasted 90 minutes. Rybakina capitalized on five of her six break points and demonstrated resilience by saving two of four break points against her.
This victory sets up a challenging last-16 encounter for Rybakina, as she prepares to face Russia's Liudmila Samsonova. Samsonova reached this stage after a hard-fought match against Australian Maya Joint, winning 7-5, 6-7(3/7), 6-2. Historically, Samsonova leads the rivalry against Rybakina 4-2, although Rybakina has emerged victorious in their last two meetings, including a win in the 2022 Strasbourg final.
On the other side of the draw, Leylah Fernandez, seeded 30th, pulled off a significant upset by defeating the 19-year-old Andreeva, who is currently ranked fifth in the world. Fernandez won the match 6-1, 6-4, ending a seven-match losing streak against top-10 opponents. The last time Fernandez triumphed over a player ranked so highly was during her run to the WTA Washington title last year, where she defeated fourth-ranked Jessica Pegula.
After the match, Fernandez reflected on her performance, stating, "The key for me was to stay positive, stay strong, and to keep being patient. She wasn’t going to give away some easy balls." The Canadian left-hander dominated on her serve, winning 24 of 27 points on her first serve and 17 of 23 on Andreeva's second serves. In contrast, Andreeva struggled with her consistency, committing 34 unforced errors against just 17 winners.
Looking ahead, Fernandez will face a formidable opponent in four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, the 11th seed from Japan. Osaka secured her place in the fourth round by defeating Belgium's 20th-seeded Elise Mertens 6-1, 6-2. Osaka's strong performance included seven aces and she successfully converted four of her eight break points while denying Mertens on all three of her break opportunities.
In their previous encounters, Fernandez and Osaka have split their two meetings, with Fernandez winning at the 2021 US Open on her way to a runner-up finish, while Osaka claimed victory last year in Wuhan. Osaka acknowledged the challenge of facing a left-handed opponent like Fernandez, noting, "It’s tough because she’s lefty. Obviously there aren’t many lefties on tour, so it takes me a while to get used to that. She has a really good attitude. I’ve never seen her down. She always keeps fighting. I really appreciate that about her."
In other notable matches, US fourth seed Coco Gauff advanced by defeating Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-1, 6-4, while Alexandra Eala from the Philippines reached the fourth round after a hard-fought victory over American Caty McNally, winning 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. Eala will next face Swiss 12th seed Belinda Bencic, who triumphed over Taylor Townsend in a marathon match that lasted over three hours.
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