Rybakina survives scare as Gauff, Osaka race into Toronto quarters

World number two Elena Rybakina narrowly escaped a scare on Sunday, battling into the Canadian Open quarterfinals in Toronto. She recovered from a 0-3 deficit and two breaks down in the final set to defeat Liudmila Samsonova 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

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My main focus today was let me try and close it out. Probably not the way I should be thinking but it worked today.

Meanwhile, fourth-ranked Coco Gauff cruised through her match, sweeping aside Russian qualifier Alina Korneeva 6-3, 6-1. Gauff has not dropped a set in the tournament so far. "My main focus today was let me try and close it out," Gauff said. "Probably not the way I should be thinking but it worked today."

Rybakina is set to face four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the next round. Osaka eliminated home favorite Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-4. "It was all pretty good for me," Osaka commented on her performance. "She has a great attitude. She's consistent and she will fight. She's kind of like a bulldog."

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It was all pretty good for me. She has a great attitude. She's consistent and she will fight. She's kind of like a bulldog.

Gauff, who reached the quarterfinals in Canada for the first time since 2023, will next meet 14th-ranked Belinda Bencic. Bencic secured her win over Alexandra Eala with a dominant 6-4, 6-0 performance. Bencic noted the difficulty of playing left-handed opponents, stating, "I hate to play against lefties so I'm surprised by this statistic."

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I hate to play against lefties so I'm surprised by this statistic.