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World number one Aryna Sabalenka was eliminated by Russian 16th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova on Saturday in a fourth-round match at the WTA Toronto Masters tournament.
Alexandrova defeated the four-time Grand Slam winner from Belarus 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-4 in 2 hr 29 min to book a berth in the quarter-finals.
Sabalenka, who will seek her third consecutive US Open title next month, fell to 5-5 in her career WTA rivalry with Alexandrova, who will face Ukraine's ninth-seeded Elina Svitolina in the quarter-finals after the Ukrainian dispatched American Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 6-4 in 78 minutes.
Sabalenka broke for a 2-0 lead in the opening set, dropped the next four games, then held and broke back to 4-4 on a forehand drop volley winner.
Double faults by Sabalenka in the 11th game and Alexandrova in the 12th surrendered breaks, leading to a tiebreak. The Russian took five of the last six points to seal the first set when Sabalenka swatted a crosscourt forehand wide.
In the second set, Alexandrova hit a forehand long to surrender a break and give Sabalenka a 4-3 lead. The top seed then held serve twice to force a decider.
Sabalenka was broken when she netted a forehand to give Alexandrova a 3-1 edge, but the Russian double-faulted away a break in the seventh game.
In the 10th game, Sabalenka made three unforced errors to give Alexandrova a break and match points. Sabalenka saved the first on a service winner and the second on an ace.
But after sending a backhand beyond the baseline, the Belarusian made her sixth and final double fault to lose the match.
"I wasn't trying to think about the score or anything like beating number one," Alexandrova said after the match. "I was just trying to do my best. 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. I had a lot today, but I couldn't realize some of them. I'm super happy that I could win because after the second set, I thought (winning) was already past me."
Alexandrova added that she had entered the match with no expectations. "I knew it was going to be super difficult when I walked on the court," she said. "I was trying to risk as much as possible because it felt like it was the only way to create some chances. It caused many more mistakes, but at the same time I created many more opportunities."
On her aggressive approach, Alexandrova said, "I was trying to play super aggressive, the way I didn't play for a long time. It worked. I had the feeling I have some kind of power, and I can create something, and it helped me mentally."
World number three Jessica Pegula was also upset in the fourth round, losing 6-3, 6-3 to Russian 15th seed Diana Shnaider. The 22-year-old left-hander needed only 73 minutes to complete the win and will next face Poland's Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals.
"This week I've been very comfortable both defending and just firing some winners," Shnaider said. "It was working well. I was choosing a bigger target today but sometimes ripping the ball."
Former world number one Swiatek, the seventh seed, rallied to defeat Ukraine's 10th-seeded Marta Kostyuk 3-6, 6-1, and 6-2. Swiatek, a four-time French Open champion, saved nine break points in the last two sets without dropping serve.
"In the second I came out... playing a bit faster and heavier and pushing Marta a little bit more," Swiatek said.
"Game by game I felt like it was a good plan and a good choice and I went for it."
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Set as preferred source
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