World number one Aryna Sabalenka and Cameron Norrie both suffered surprising exits at the Canadian Open in the last 16. Sabalenka fell in a nearly two-and-a-half-hour battle against Ekaterina Alexandrova in Toronto, while Norrie bowed out to Arthur Fils in Montreal on August 9, 2026.
Tennis tournaments rarely follow a predictable script, and early August in Canada brought a wave of unexpected exits for established contenders. While the outdoor hard courts at IGA Stadium, Montreal, Canada set the stage for high-stakes encounters, top seeds found themselves up against resilient opponents capable of turning matches on a single break or tie-break.
Aryna Sabalenka Falls to Ekaterina Alexandrova in Toronto Thriller
Aryna Sabalenka faced a difficult summer stumble just weeks before her upcoming US Open title defense. The world number one dropped a grueling three-set match 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-4 to Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Canadian Open in Toronto. The encounter stretched across nearly two and a half hours of intense baseline exchanges.
Sabalenka managed to recover after dropping the opening tie-break, seizing control of the second set with an early break to level the match. Yet unforced errors mounted in the decider. Serving to stay in the match at 4-5, the top seed saved two match points before a crucial double fault handed the 16th-seeded Russian the victory.
Ekaterina Alexandrova stated via BBC Sport and Sky Sports that she had simply tried to play every single point as if it were the last one because with her opponent, you do not get a lot of chances during the match, and added that she was super happy to be able to win because after the second set, she thought the chance had already passed her by.
The defeat compounds a challenging Grand Slam and summer stretch for the Belarusian star, who previously exited in the quarter-finals of the French Open and the last 16 at Wimbledon. Alexandrova advances to face Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina—who defeated American eighth seed Amanda Anisimova 6-2 6-4—for a spot in the semi-finals.
Cameron Norrie Squeezed Out by Arthur Fils in Montreal Battle
In the men’s event in Montreal, Cameron Norrie’s hard-court run came to a halt against French 18th seed Arthur Fils. Norrie entered the match riding a wave of momentum after an extraordinary comeback victory against third seed Alex de Minaur, a performance that briefly saw him become British No 1 again in place of Arthur Fery.
Against Fils, however, the early stages proved punishing. Fils utilized a powerful serve to secure the first set 6-2 without major resistance. Norrie responded by matching his opponent’s power in a tightly contested second set, pushing the frame to a tie-break after saving three match points. Despite holding two set-point opportunities of his own, Norrie failed to convert, and Fils closed out the straight-sets win 6-2 7-6 (10-8) in one hour and 43 minutes.
Fils advances to the quarter-finals to meet Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar, who upset eighth seed Jiri Lehecka 6-3 6-3.
Broader Shakeups Across the Draws in Toronto and Montreal
The exits of Sabalenka and Norrie mirrored a broader wave of upsets across both tournaments. Third seed Jessica Pegula suffered her first career defeat to Diana Shnaider as the 22-year-old Russian closed out both sets firmly to win 6-3 6-3. Shnaider moves on to face Iga Swiatek, the six-time Grand Slam winner who overcame opening-set service troubles against Marta Kostyuk.
Swiatek fell behind after Kostyuk broke her serve four times during a rocky 39-minute opening set that prompted the seventh seed to briefly retire to the locker room. Re-emerging with a visibly improved rhythm, Swiatek conceded just three games across the remaining sets to advance 3-6 6-1 6-2.
Meanwhile, other encounters tested endurance on the hard courts. Brandon Nakashima and Luciano Darderi secured demanding three-set victories over Arthur Rinderknech and Nuno Borges respectively, with Darderi utilizing a mid-match changeover to enjoy an espresso on his way to a 4-6 6-3 7-5 win.
