TORONTO : Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina advanced to the fourth round of the Toronto Open on Friday, while French Open winner Mirra Andreeva was eliminated by Canada’s Leylah Fernandez.
World number two Rybakina, from Kazakhstan, defeated American 28th seed Ann Li 6-2, 7-5 in 90 minutes, converting five of six break points while saving two of four.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion will face Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova in the last 16 after Samsonova outlasted Australia’s Maya Joint 7-5, 6-7(3), 6-2.
Samsonova leads her career rivalry with Rybakina 4-2, although Rybakina has won their last two meetings, including last year’s Strasbourg final.
Fernandez, the 30th seed, produced one of the day’s biggest upsets by beating fifth-ranked Andreeva 6-1, 6-4 in 80 minutes.
The victory ended Fernandez’s seven-match losing streak against top-10 opponents. The Canadian’s previous win over a player ranked as high as Andreeva came against fourth-ranked Jessica Pegula during her run to the Washington title last year.
“The key for me was to stay positive, stay strong, and to keep being patient,” Fernandez said.
“I’ve put in the work. I know physically I’m strong. I know I can endure long rallies, long matches. So if it’s going to take 100 balls to hit to put it in to break her down, then so be it.”
Fernandez won 24 of 27 points on her first serve and 17 of 23 on Andreeva’s second serve. The Russian teenager hit 34 unforced errors compared with 17 winners.
Fernandez will next face four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, the 11th seed, after the Japanese player defeated Belgium’s 20th seed Elise Mertens 6-1, 6-2.
Osaka hit seven aces and converted four of eight break points while saving all three break chances she faced.
Fernandez and Osaka have split their two previous meetings. Fernandez won their 2021 U.S. Open encounter on her way to the final, while Osaka prevailed in Wuhan last year.
Fourth-seeded American Coco Gauff also advanced, beating Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-1, 6-4 in 76 minutes.
Gauff led 5-1 in the second set before Sakkari mounted a late comeback, but the American closed out the match by winning five of the final six points.
Gauff will meet 19-year-old Russian Alina Korneeva in the last 16. Korneeva defeated American 13th seed Iva Jovic 6-3, 6-4, converting seven of eight break points.
