Canada’s Katherine Sebov out of NBO; world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka cruises to 3rd round

TORONTO – Katherine Sebov sensed tension on the other side of the court.

The underdog Canadian wild-card entry was up a surprising 4-1 in the first set of her National Bank Open second-round match against Marta Kostyuk.

Sebov had already secured two break points in an early barrage that rocked the tournament’s No. 10 seed, a player coming off back-to-back Grand Slam semifinal appearances at the French Open and Wimbledon, on her heels.

The Toronto-born tennis player was unable to keep the momentum in her hometown — and Canada is now left with just two hopefuls in the women’s singles draw.

Kostyuk recovered from that rocky start Tuesday to defeat Sebov 7-6 (4), 6-0 on centre court at Sobeys Stadium.

“I knew that I shocked her quite a bit up until that point,” the 27-year-old ranked 229th in the world said of her fast opening. “I put a lot of pressure on her. I knew that I needed to keep that pressure in order to win. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capitalize.

“When you play somebody that high-level, the window is very small.”

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka — in her hard-court return after taking a break following disappointing exits at both the French Open and Wimbledon — moved on with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Japanese qualifier Moyuka Uchijima, who’s currently No. 111 on tour.

Next up for the four-time Grand Slam winner from Belarus is a meeting with 62nd-ranked Shuai Zhang of China after No. 26 seed Jelena Ostapenko retired from their match in the second set down 6-0, 4-0.

“I’m happy with the performance,” Sabalenka said. “I’m happy with the fight. I knew that going into this match I might struggle a little bit after a little break, but I was ready for that.

“I’m happy that mentally and physically I was ready to go.”

Other seeds moving on included No. 7 Iga Swiatek, No. 9 Elina Svitolina, No. 15 Diana Shnaider, No. 16 Ekaterina Alexandrova, No. 17 Anna Kalinskaya, No. 19 Madison Keys and No. 24 Anastasia Potapova.

No. 8 Amanda Anisimova was scheduled to play the late match on centre court, but advanced via walkover after the withdrawal of qualifier Lanlana Taraudee.

Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., opens her tournament Wednesday as the only seeded Canadian at No. 30 against Renata Zarazua, while wild-card entry Kayla Cross of London, Ont., will face No. 28 Ann Li after five of their countrywomen, including 2019 winner Bianca Andreescu, were eliminated in the first round.

Sebov was up two breaks in the first set before Kostyuk battled back to 4-4. The Canadian was also on serve up 5-4, but her 24-year-old Ukrainian opponent responded to force a tiebreak.

“The first set wasn’t easy,” Kostyuk said. “But I’m happy to have that type of match coming back … because you pull through difficult moments, you know you can do it.”

The WTA’s 11th-ranked player then flexed her muscles in the second set to secure a comfortable victory over Sebov, who climbed to No. 136 in April 2023.

“Definitely played really well in that first set,” Sebov said. “It’s a very good match to build off of for me. It’s been a long time since I played a player that level, and it’s the best result I’ve ever had with a player that level. I’m definitely proud of myself, and I know what to work on.

“I’m just very glad I had that opportunity.”

Sebov said competing at a high-profile tournament on home soil is a different beast for Canadian players.

“Being in the spotlight is a little bit weird to me because I feel like I’m praised for running after a ball,” Sebov said before adding with a smile: “Dogs do the same … how am I better?

“But it was quite fun this week to have all that buzz around. It was a very positive energy. It was very fun vibes.”

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Organizers announced Venus Williams and Alexandra Eala have been awarded the final doubles main-draw wild card.

The 46-year-old Williams, who lost in first-round singles play, is a 14-time Grand Slam doubles champion, while 21-year-old Eala is ranked No. 20 in singles and just beat 2024 NBO winner Jessica Pegula in the D.C. Open final.

Williams is also set to reunite with sister Serena in doubles at next week’s Cincinnati Open, their first tournament together since the 2022 U.S. Open.

The No. 25 seed in Toronto, Eala plays her first singles match Wednesday night against Alycia Parks.

“We know our fans will be incredibly excited to see Venus and Alexandra team up,” tournament director Karl Hale said in a statement. “Venus is a legend in our sport, while Alexandra’s popularity continues to soar, as does her level on the court.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2026.