The top seeds at the Toronto Canadian Open mostly held firm in the second round. Coco Gauff, Elena Rybakina, and Naomi Osaka all advanced to the third round, while Emma Navarro was dismantled by Russian teenager Alina Korneeva.
Gauff cruises past Day
The fourth seed left no doubt against qualifier Kayla Day, winning 6-2, 7-5 in just under two hours. Gauff dominated the rallies in the first set before facing unexpected resistance in the second, where Day leveled at 5-5. The American regained her composure to close out the match on serve. She will face Maria Sakkari in the third round, a clash that promises to be the highlight of the next stage.
Rybakina survives a scare
Elena Rybakina battled through a difficult encounter against Daria Kasatkina, winning 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 despite 58 unforced errors and 16 double faults. The second seed, playing her first match since Wimbledon, was broken three times. "That was a really difficult match, I'm happy to be back here in Toronto," said the Kazakh. The mixed showing does not overshadow a key milestone: Rybakina has now won her opening match at 13 consecutive WTA 1000 events. A title in Toronto could lift her to World No. 1, provided Aryna Sabalenka exits early.
Osaka builds momentum on hardcourt
Naomi Osaka, seeded 11th, confirmed her strong hardcourt form with a clean 6-2, 6-4 victory over Panna Udvardy. The Japanese star, last year's finalist in Montreal, appears to have found her rhythm heading into the US Open. Her consistency this summer stands in sharp contrast to the uneven results of her clay season.
Korneeva stuns Navarro
The biggest surprise of the day came from Alina Korneeva. The 19-year-old Russian, ranked No. 89 and coming through qualifying, dismantled 23rd seed Emma Navarro 6-2, 6-2 in just 76 minutes, claiming her first career victory over a top-30 opponent. Navarro continues to struggle on hardcourt, winning just five of her last 15 matches on the surface.
Andreeva, Eala and Bencic also advance
Mirra Andreeva crushed Karolína Plíšková 6-0, 6-2 to reach the third round, while Alexandra Eala, fresh off her DC Open title, withstood a fightback from Alycia Parks to prevail 6-1, 4-6, 6-2. Belinda Bencic, continuing her return to the tour, dispatched Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-1. Leylah Fernandez delighted the Canadian crowd with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Renata Zarazúa, and Iva Jović impressed by defeating Magda Linette 6-3, 7-5.
The day featured 14 second-round matches, with Navarro's defeat the only significant upset. Aryna Sabalenka, the top seed, had already extended her hardcourt winning streak to 13 matches heading into the third round.
