{
  "id": 354512,
  "title": "World number one Sabalenka suffers Toronto setback as Alexandrova advances",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/09/world-number-one-sabalenka-suffers-toronto-setback-as-alexandrova-354512",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-09T06:16:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Recorder",
    "slug": "business-recorder",
    "url": "https://www.brecorder.com/news/40433977/world-number-one-sabalenka-suffers-toronto-setback-as-alexandrova-advances"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Aryna Sabalenka, currently the world's top-ranked tennis player, faced a disappointing loss in the Canadian Open in Toronto on Saturday. The Russian player Ekaterina Alexandrova, seeded 16th, defeated Sabalenka in a grueling three-set match that lasted nearly two and a half hours. Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam champion and the reigning U.S. Open champion, managed to force a decisive set after trailing in the opening round. However, Alexandrova's relentless attacking style in the final set proved too much for the Belarusian. Sabalenka started strongly in the first set, but Alexandrova staged a remarkable comeback to force a tiebreak, which she won to take the lead. In the second set, Sabalenka regained control with a break, leading 4-3, and served out to level the match. Despite holding two match points, Alexandrova clinched the victory with a double fault in the third set, securing her spot in the quarter-finals. \"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,\" Alexandrova remarked post-match. With Sabalenka now facing a setback in her journey towards the U.S. Open, Alexandrova will advance to face Ukraine's Elina Svitolina, who had previously defeated American eighth seed Amanda Anisimova.",
  "summary": "World number one Aryna Sabalenka suffered a setback in her U.S. Open build-up after she was beaten 7-6(3) 4-6 6-4 by Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova in the fourth round of the Canadian Open in Toronto on Saturday. The 16th-seeded Alexandrova fought a hard battle lasting nearly two and a half hours to secure her quarter-final berth. Sabalenka, a four-time Grand Slam champion and reigning U.S. Open…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}