Ekaterina Alexandrova beat Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 4-6 6-4 in Toronto, recovering from a second-set loss to close out an erratic decider. She sealed the win by breaking Sabalenka in game 10 of the third set.
The opener swung frequently: Sabalenka broke for 2-0, Alexandrova answered to 2-1 and later moved ahead 2-3. Sabalenka recovered to 4-4 and then to 6-6 from 5-6, but Alexandrova took the tiebreak. In the second set, Sabalenka’s break in game 7 for 4-3 proved enough to level the match. The decider followed a similar path, with Sabalenka breaking for 1-0 and Alexandrova levelling at 1-1 before taking a 1-3 lead and eventually winning with another break in game 10.
Alexandrova’s serving stood out in the opener, where she hit four aces to Sabalenka’s one and landed 55 per cent of first serves. Both players saved two of the four break points they faced in that set.