Sabalenka Stunned at National Bank Open

In a surprising turn of events at the National Bank Open, Aryna Sabalenka, the No. 2 seed and third-ranked player in the world, was knocked out in the quarterfinals. The match occurred at the windy Sobeys Stadium, where Amanda Anisimova from the U.S. upset Sabalenka with a score of 6-4, 6-2.

This loss marked the fifth time Sabalenka has fallen to Anisimova out of their seven encounters. During the match, frustrations bubbled over for Sabalenka when she committed a crucial error while serving, leading to a break by Anisimova.

As if that wasn’t enough, Sabalenka’s struggles continued when Anisimova broke her again for a 4-2 lead in the second set. Despite trying to regain control, Sabalenka ultimately had to concede the match after a series of double faults.

Anisimova’s victory means she now advances to her first WTA 1000 semifinal, where she will compete against Emma Navarro, who also made it through after defeating Taylor Townsend.

Later in the day, defending champion Jessica Pegula was set to face off against Peyton Stearns in another exciting all-American matchup. Interestingly, this tournament has seen the most American women in the final eight of a WTA 1000 event since 2009.

Interestingly, there’s been quite a buzz about the impressive performance by the American players, with Navarro sharing how the opportunity to play alongside fellow Americans has been incredibly rewarding.

Many fans were excited for the battle between Diana Shnaider and Liudmila Samsonova, as Shnaider had already upset top seed Coco Gauff in a previous match.

In the doubles category, Canadian participants still hold a prominent presence. Leylah Fernandez and her sister Bianca made it through to the semifinals after a tough battle where they pulled off a nail-biting win against their French and Chinese opponents.

As the tournament progresses, fans are looking forward to the finals being played on Monday this year, due to scheduling adjustments linked to the Olympics.