It was down to the final eight players in the singles draw at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers on Saturday in Toronto and fans were ready for some quarter-final action.
Fortunately, the weather has cooperated for the most part this year which has led to the schedule staying on track. There’s been a little bit of wind for the players to contend with, but minimal rain thankfully. Saturday offers two daytime and two evening matches on Centre Court in singles while the doubles action is being showcased over on the Cashmere Grandstand.
Follow the Live Quarter-Final Results from Toronto
The opening match of the day was an all-American showdown between No. 8 seed Emma Navarro and lucky loser Taylor Townsend, who was defeated in the qualifying draw but took advantage of a withdrawal by one of their peers in the main draw and by virtue of their ranking became the next player allowed in.
Townsend had made the most of the opportunity by making the quarter-finals of a WTA 1000 event for the first time in her career.
Navarro meanwhile, has been on the rise in 2024 and was our recent guest on Match Point Canada about her Olympics experience, rise in the rankings and enjoyment of playing here in Canada. Watch the full interview below:
This was the second career encounter between the two, with Townsend having won the first match but that was back in 2019 at a smaller ITF event. This time, it was Navarro who emerged with the win 6-3, 7-6(5). She handled the windy conditions a little bit better and came up with some great passing shots in the second set tiebreak when Townsend rushed the net.
The second daytime singles match pitted No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka against Amanda Anisimova whose aggressive play came through for her today in a 6-4, 6-2 win to set up an all-American semifinal with Navarro.
Read also: Diana Shnaider Continues 2024 Breakout with Upset of Gauff
There was also plenty of doubles action happening today very heavy Canadian content. In the first doubles match of the afternoon, sisters Leylah Annie and Bianca Jolie Fernandez were up against the veteran team of Kristina Mladenovic, who won two major mixed doubles titles with Canada’s Daniel Nestor, and Zhang Shuai.
The dynamic between the two sisters is a strong one and it’s quite remarkable to see 20-year-old Bianca Jolie, who plays NCAA college tennis for UCLA, more than hold her own against seasoned veterans of the WTA.
The match started with all four players having their serves broken, before they settled into a rhythm. Later, Mladenovic was serving at 5-6 and up 40-0 when the Canadians rattled off four straight points and broke to take the set when the Frenchwoman sent a forehand into the net. In the second set, the veteran duo broke the Fernandez sisters late, to force a deciding match tiebreak.
The tiebreak was a back-and-forth affair that had a combined total of five double faults, including a crucial one by Zhang while serving up 9-8 on match point for her and Mladenovic, and then another one by Mladenovic that handed the match to the Fernandez sisters while serving at 10-11. The final score was 7-5, 5-7, 12-10 and now guarantees the tournament will have a Canadian presence in the finals.
Immediately after the match, World No. 1 Erin Routliffe and World No. 3 Gaby Dabrowski of Ottawa took to the court against the upstart wildcard tandem of Ariana Arseneault and Mia Kupres, who have really gelled as a team in short order as they won their first ever event as doubles partners three weeks ago at the 75k ITF event in Granby.
They came out of the gates firing on the Grandstand and possibly surprised their more-experienced opponents by taking the first set. Dabrowski and Routliffe settled in the second to even the match at one set apiece. In the match tiebreak, the veteran duo showed their poise and were able to close out the match 3-6, 6-3, 10-4 to advance to the semifinals where they will face the Fernandez sisters.
Arseneault and Kupres will next play the 35k ITF tournament in Saskatoon.
The WTA's best return to Toronto this summer for the National Bank Open August 4 to 12, 2024 at Sobeys Stadium. 2024 Tickets are on sale. Get your tickets today!
Feature Photo: Peter Power
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