Canadian Open: Aryna Sabalenka stunned as Jannik Sinner continues quest towards fifth title of season

Aryna Sabalenka saw her Canadian Open hopes go up in smoke as Amanda Anisimova stunned the tournament favourite in Toronto to reach first WTA 1000 semi-final.

The 22-year-old American, who took a sabbatical from tennis in 2023 to prioritise her mental health, secured a 6-4 6-2 victory for her fifth win against Sabalenka in seven career meetings.

“She’s an amazing player, so it’s always really tough playing against her. I played her earlier this year at the Australian Open when she was on fire,” said Anisimova.

“I went in with a little bit of a different game plan, and I was really happy with how I was able to execute that today

“I’ve had a lot of matches in the last couple of weeks, and it’s honestly been so nice just being able to play day after day. I’m just really happy to be out here.”

Anisimova will take on Emma Navarro next after the eighth seed notched a 6-3 7-6 (7-5) victory over lucky-loser Taylor Townsend in an all-American quarter-final.

With the win, Navarro, 23, also moved into the first WTA 1000 semi-final of her career.

Jannik Sinner continued his defence of the Canadian Open by coasting past Alejandro Tabilo to reach the quarter-finals in Montreal where he faces Andrey Rublev later on Saturday.

Italian world No 1 Sinner has shown little sign of any lingering issues after missing the Paris Olympics with tonsillitis.

Sinner, who withdrew from the doubles he had been playing in alongside Britain’s Jack Draper, built from a slow start to break the Chilean early in the second set and progress 6-4 6-3 in one hour and 21 minutes.

Sinner will next face fifth seed Andrey Rublev, who dispatched American Brandon Nakashima 6-2 6-2, with their match set to take place later on Saturday as a result of Friday’s rain delay.

“Tricky opponent, tricky conditions,” Sinner said. “It is difficult playing against this type of player. Huge lefty, big potential.

“I had to be very careful, looking a lot to make the game. It felt like a good match. I know in my mind I have to play one more time [today], so there is not much time to be happy and recover.

“If I want to play the second match today, I had to win the first one. So if it took three or four hours, it takes that long. It will be a tough match against Andrey. He played great today.”

Sinner leads Rublev 5-2 in their meetings, having defeated the fifth seed en route to the Australian Open title in January.

Victory also ensured Sinner became the first player to qualify for the year-end Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

Meanwhile, Kei Nishikori reached his first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final since Rome in 2019 after beating Portugal’s Nuno Borges 6-3 6-4 and will play Matteo Arnaldi after his opponent, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, withdrew through injury.

Sebastian Korda, who won last week’s ATP event in Washington, also progressed to the last eight after sixth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway pulled out because of illness. Korda had earlier beaten compatriot Taylor Fritz 6-4 7-6 (7-4) in their delayed second-round match.

Germany’s Alexander Zverev, the world No 4, saw off Holger Rune 6-3 7-6 (7-5) to book quarter-final against Korda while Alexei Popyrin saved three match points during the second set as he battled past Grigor Dimitrov 4-6 7-6 (5) 6-3.

What’s coming up on Sky Sports Tennis?

In the run-up to the final Grand Slam of 2024 – the US Open – you can watch all of the biggest tennis stars in action live on Sky Sports as they compete across the hard-court season.

• National Bank Open, Montreal (ATP 1000) – 6-12 August
• National Bank Open, Toronto (WTA 1000) – 6-12 August
• Cincinnati Open (ATP 1000) – 12-19 August
• Cincinnati Open (WTA 1000) – 13-19 August
• Winston-Salem Open (ATP 250) – 18-24 August
• Tennis in the Land, Cleveland (WTA 250) – 18-24 August
• Abierto GNP Seguros, Monterrey (WTA 500) – 19-24 August
• US Open (ATP/WTA) – 26 August – 8 September

Watch the WTA and ATP Tours throughout 2024 on Sky Sports Tennis. Stream Sky Sports Tennis and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership. No contract, cancel anytime.