Road to the NBO – Amidst upsets, Rybakina looks to close in on another Wimbledon crown

The anticipation continues to build for the National Bank Open in Toronto, with action now less than four weeks away.

In the meantime, we’re in the heart of the third major on the tennis calendar, with Wimbledon more than halfway through.

Surprises mark first week of Wimbledon

Upsets rocked the opening week at the All England Club, with eight of the top 10 women’s players failing to reach the second week of Wimbledon.

Read more: Monday Digest - Dabrowki carries Canadian hopes at Wimbledon

The most surprising of all was the dismissal of world No. 1, Iga Swiatek.

While the Polish star has struggled on grass in the past, expectations were nevertheless high. Instead, she saw her Wimbledon dreams halted by the talented and unpredictable Yulia Putintseva in the third round.

Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur, who’s finished runner-up the last two years at Wimbledon, was eliminated by experienced veteran Elina Svitolina 6-1, 7-6(4) in the round of 32, while China’s Wang Xinyu upset American Jessica Pegula in three sets in the second round.

Coco Gauff also saw her major hopes dashed by a fellow American, as she was thoroughly outplayed by crafty left-hander Emma Navarro.

Qualifier Lulu Sun became one of the Cinderella stories of the event, emerging out of obscurity to reach the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam. The New Zealander, who sits at 123^rd in the world, is the second lowest-ranked player over the last 15 years to reach the final eight at the All England Club. She finally fell in three sets to Croatia’s Donna Vekic.

Rybakina stands tall, Vekic breaks through

Amidst the carnage at the All England Club, Elena Rybakina has stayed calm, cool and collected as she has her eyes on a second career major title.

The 25-year-old world no. 4 breezed through the opening week of competition, with her only hiccup coming in a second-round tilt against Germany’s Laura Siegemund. After escaping that tough second round affair in three sets, she dismantled Caroline Wozniacki 6-0, 6-1 and dropped only three games to Anna Kalinskaya, who retired from the contest in the second set due to injury.

Rybakina’s booming serve and flat, powerful groundstrokes have always positioned her well at Wimbledon, but she’s also improved her movement and fitness since her 2022 championship run.

With other threats like Aryna Sabalenka, Gauff, and Swiatek out of the mix, the big serving Kazakhstani should love her chances to win again on the grass courts.

Vekic is enjoying a career run at age 28 and is through to her first career major semifinal. The smooth hitting veteran who is a four-time WTA titlist overcame a serious knee surgery in 2021 and a break from the tour in 2022 to return to the top of her game. 

She is the first Croatian to reach the final four of Wimbledon since 1999.

The WTA's best return to Toronto this summer for the National Bank Open August 4 to 12 at Sobeys Stadium. Tickets are on sale. Get your tickets today!