MONTREAL – Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur rallied from a set down to knock second seeded defending champion Bianca Andreescu out of the WTA hardcourt tournament in Montreal 6-7 (5/7), 6-4, 6-1.
The third-round upset was twice interrupted by rain as the Birmingham champion Jabeur – first Arab woman to win a WTA title – completed the second defeat of the day for Canada.
Earlier, top seed Aryna Sabalenka dismissed 220th-ranked local Rebecca Marino 6-1, 6-3 in an hour.
Jabeur won her 36th match of the season, second-best on the Tour behind Sabalenka, with 37.
The 13th seeded Jabeur ripped through the third set, advancing on her second match point. She broke former US Open champion Andreescu six times.
Aryna ends Rebecca’s strong run
Top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus ended Canadian Rebecca Marino´s strong run at the National Bank Open in Montreal with a 6-1, 6-3 victory.
The 30-year-old Marino, a wild card ranked 220th, made it to the round of 16 by upsetting No. 16 seed Madison Keys and 31st-ranked Paula Badosa.
“It didn´t matter who I was going to play. I just wanted to leave it all on the court and give it my best shot,” Marino said.
“In my heart, I feel like I belong with these players, I belong at this level. And I feel the results demonstrated that. I´m glad I got to show everyone how I play.”
Sabalenka, ranked No. 3, saved four break points to cruise to a 5-0 lead in the first set. Marino showed life in the second set with a pair of aces and held serve through the first six games. But she struggled with break points, going 0 for 5 in the match.
“For her, it was nothing to lose today and the crowd was supporting her, so she kind of was in a good shape and good mood,” Sabalenka said according to AP.
“So I was trying to not give her any opportunities to come back in the match or even to put any pressure on me. I was kind of aggressive from the beginning to the end. It´s dangerous to play against players who have nothing to lose.”
Azarenka beat Maria Sakkari of Greece 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (2).
Fourth-seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic beat Amanda Anisimova of the United States 6-1, 7-6 (8) to set up a quarterfinal match against Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain. Sorribes Tormo edged Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic 6-7 (4), 6-0, 6-3.
Camila Giorgi of Italy beat seventh-seeded Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-4. She will face 15th-seeded Cori Gauff of the United States. Gauff advanced in a walkover after Johanna Konta of Britain withdrew because of a knee injury.
Second-seeded Bianca Andreescu of Canada, looking to defend her 2019 title, faced 13th-seeded Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in a night match.
Nadal out of Cincinnati
Rafael Nadal withdrew from the ATP Cincinnati Masters, organizers said, just a day after his withdrawal from the Toronto tournament had already cast doubt on his fitness for the US Open.
The 35-year-old Spanish star has been suffering from a left foot injury since his semi-final exit at the hands of Novak Djokovic at the French Open in June.
Nadal, level with Djokovic and Roger Federer on a men’s record 20 Grand Slams, is hoping to be fit for an assault on a fifth US Open title when the final Grand Slam of the year starts on August 30.
World number four Nadal’s withdrawal means that none of the “Big Three” will compete again before the New York fortnight.
Top-ranked Djokovic, seeking to complete a calendar-year Grand Slam at the US Open, withdrew from Cincinnati, saying he needed more recovery time after the Tokyo Olympics.
Djokovic, 34, could become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win all four major titles in one year.
But he missed a chance at a “Golden Slam” after losing to Alexander Zverev in an Olympic semi-final.
“I am taking a bit longer to recover and recuperate after quite a taxing journey from Australia to Tokyo,” Djokovic posted on social media according to AFP.
“Sadly, that means I won’t be ready to compete in Cincinnati this year so I’ll turn my focus and attention to US Open and spend some more time with family. See you in New York soon!”
Federer, who turned 40 on Sunday, withdrew from Toronto and Cincinnati last Thursday, adding to fitness fears around the Swiss legend for the US Open.
Federer, whose most recent Slam crown came at the 2018 Australian Open, reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals but skipped the Tokyo Olympics due to a knee injury.
Federer, who has not played at the US Open since reaching the 2019 quarter-finals, has played five events this year. He underwent two right knee operations in 2020 following the Australian Open.
Former world number one Federer, now ninth in the rankings, made his best run of the year to the last eight at Wimbledon, where he is an eight-time champion.
Tsitsipas beats Khachanov in Toronto
Stefanos Tsitsipas celebrated his 23rd birthday by beating Karen Khachanov 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the National Bank Open quarterfinals.
The crowd serenaded the No. 3 seed from Greece with a rendition of “Happy Birthday” as he was presented with a white sheet cake decked out with fresh fruit.
“One of the best feelings you can experience on a tennis court,” said Tsitsipas, who is ranked No. 3 and lost the French Open final to Novak Djokovic in five sets.
Tsitsipas dominated his Russian opponent, saving both his break points and winning 74% of his service points.
He will face sixth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway in the quarter-finals. They met at the Madrid Open in May, with Ruud winning in straight sets in the round of 16.
“I´m looking for a change, looking for a switch-up this time,” Tsitsipas said.
Ruud beat Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 6-4, 6-3.
Fourth-seeded John Isner of the United States beat Russia’s Andrey Rublev 7-5 7-6 (5). He will face 11th-seeded Gael Monfils of France, a 6-1, 7-6 (2) winner over American Frances Tiafoe
American Reilly Opelka also advanced, beating Lloyd Harris of South Africa 4-6, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4). Opelka will face 10th-seeded Roberto Bautista of Spain, a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 winner over eighth-seeded Diego Schwartzman of Argentina.
