The second day of main draw action at the Toronto Canadian Open confirmed the dominance of the top seeds, with world number one Aryna Sabalenka and Madison Keys leading a group of favourites through the second round with minimal resistance. The day's most striking moment was the retirement of Jelena Ostapenko, the 26th seed, against Zhang Shuai.
Sabalenka controls Uchijima to open her Toronto campaign
The world number one opened her tournament with a straight-sets victory over Japanese qualifier Moyuka Uchijima, 6-3, 6-3. Sabalenka had to navigate a tricky start after conceding an early break, before reeling off five consecutive games to take firm control. In one hour and 21 minutes, the top seed laid down a marker for her Toronto campaign as she chases a third major hard-court title this season. The stakes extend beyond this tournament: second seed Elena Rybakina can seize the world number one ranking if she wins the title and Sabalenka falls before the round of 16.
Keys and Kostyuk ruthless in the second round
Madison Keys delivered a masterclass against Croatia's Antonia Ružić, winning 6-1, 6-2 in a performance befitting the 2025 Australian Open champion. The power of her groundstrokes gave her opponent no chance, with Keys dominating from the opening game to the last.
Marta Kostyuk, the 10th seed, also impressed after a tight first set. The Ukrainian won the opening tie-break 7-4 against Canadian wildcard Katherine Sebov before inflicting a crushing 6-0 bagel in the second set, winning seven consecutive games to seal the match in an hour and a half.
Ostapenko retires against Zhang Shuai
The standout moment of the day was Ostapenko's retirement against China's Zhang Shuai. The Latvian, seeded 26th, never found her rhythm and suffered a devastating 6-0 first-set bagel. Visibly struggling physically, she was forced to retire at 0-4 in the second set, handing Zhang Shuai an unexpected passage into the third round.
Kalinskaya and Shnaider battle through in three sets
Anna Kalinskaya, the 17th seed, was pushed to three sets by American McCartney Kessler, prevailing 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-4. After dominating the opener, the Russian lost the second set in a poorly executed tie-break before regrouping to claim the decider through several breaks of serve.
Diana Shnaider, the 15th seed, followed a similar path against Rebecca Šramková, winning 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. The young Russian demonstrated her resilience after dropping the second set, dominating the decider to advance. Eighth seed Amanda Anisimova received a walkover after Thai qualifier Lanlana Tararudee withdrew with a viral illness, advancing to the third round without hitting a ball.
Key numbers from the day
The seeded players won the vast majority of their second-round matches. Sabalenka continues her impressive hard-court winning streak, Keys conceded just three games against Ružić, and Kostyuk closed out her match with a run of seven straight games after a tight opener. The third round promises high-quality matchups, with the Sabalenka-Rybakina battle for the world number one ranking providing the tournament's central narrative.
