World number one Sabalenka ousted in Toronto by Alexandrova

Toronto's world number one Aryna Sabalenka was defeated by Russian 16th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the fourth-round match at the WTA Toronto Masters tournament on Saturday. Alexandrova triumphed over the Belarusian four-time Grand Slam champion 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-4 in a match that lasted 2 hours and 29 minutes. This loss puts Sabalenka at 5-5 in her career WTA rivalry with Alexandrova.

Alexandrova will now advance to the quarter-finals, where she will face either American eighth seed Amanda Anisimova or Ukraine's ninth-seeded Elina Svitolina. Sabalenka broke the opening set 2-0 but then lost the next four games. The tie-break was won by Alexandrova who took five of the last six points after Sabalenka hit a wide crosscourt forehand.

In the second set, Alexandrova lost a break but regained a 4-3 lead, forcing a decider. Sabalenka was broken in the third game of the match when she netted a forehand, but she double-faulted away a break in the seventh game. With three unforced errors in the 10th game, Alexandrova broke and won the match, saving the first two match points with a service winner and an ace.

After the match, Alexandrova stated that she didn't have high expectations and knew it would be difficult, but she took risks to create chances, which led to both mistakes and opportunities.