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ARYNA SABALENKA AND IGA SWIATEK MOVE ON WITH COMFORTABLE WINS AT TORONTO MASTERS
Aryna Sabalenka has successfully advanced to the fourth round of the WTA Toronto Masters, showcasing her formidable skills with a straight-sets victory over China’s Zhang Shuai, finishing the match with scores of 6-3, 6-4. The reigning US Open champion from Belarus, who has secured four Grand Slam titles, demonstrated her dominance on the court, conceding just seven points during her initial serve in a match that lasted 76 minutes.
Despite a challenging start in her return games, where Sabalenka struggled to find her rhythm, she eventually found her stride. “I was trying to step in and then I would step back and nothing really clicked,” she reflected. “In the end, I finally started moving a little bit better and finding my rhythm, so I’m really happy it clicked at the end.” Holding the top spot in the rankings for over 100 weeks, Sabalenka expressed her enjoyment of being in the lead, stating, “I love it. It just means I’m ahead, and they have to come up with something crazy to play such tennis, and I’m only getting better from that.” She relishes the competition and the challenges it brings, saying, “It’s tough challenges but I love to go through it and it makes me stronger.”
Sabalenka’s next matchup is against Russia’s 16th seed, Ekaterina Alexandrova, who reached this stage by defeating Australian Talia Gibson in a closely contested match that ended 5-7, 6-1, 6-3. Sabalenka leads their head-to-head meetings 5-4, having secured a victory on grass in Berlin this year, although Alexandrova triumphed in their most recent match on hard court in a tie-break last year at Doha. “Great player. Super aggressive. Fast game. Always have to stay low,” Sabalenka assessed her upcoming opponent, highlighting the competitive nature of their encounters.
Additionally, American third seed Jessica Pegula moved forward to the round of 16 after overcoming Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova, winning decisively with scores of 6-4, 6-0 in a match that concluded in just 68 minutes. Pegula is set to compete for a place in the quarter-finals against 15th seed Diana Shnaider from Russia, who dispatched her fellow countrywoman Anna Kalinskaya with a straightforward 6-3, 6-3 victory in 77 minutes.
Another impressive performance came from Polish seventh seed Iga Swiatek, who cruised past Swiss competitor Viktorija Golubic with a commanding score of 6-2, 6-1 in just 66 minutes. Swiatek displayed significant prowess, landing 18 winners while allowing a mere 14 points on her serve. “For sure it was a good day and I’m really happy with the way I played,” she remarked post-match.
Swiatek effectively countered Golubic’s varied shots by controlling the match tempo. “I played back her slice pretty well, so the change of rhythm didn’t bother me that much,” she explained. “I tried to pick the right balls to attack because I was controlling the pace. It was just about the decision-making.” In the next round, Swiatek prepares to face 10th seed Marta Kostyuk, who defeated US 19th seed Madison Keys decisively with a score of 6-3, 6-1.
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