Sabalenka Out of Toronto After Alexandrova Upset

World number one Aryna Sabalenka is out of Toronto.

Ekaterina Alexandrova beat her Saturday in the fourth round. Score: 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-4. Took two and a half hours.

Not a small upset either. Sabalenka’s a four-time Grand Slam winner. Alexandrova’s seeded 16th.

The Russian now leads the head-to-head 5-5. First win over Sabalenka since Doha last year.

Sabalenka came out fast, went 2-0 up in the first set. Then it slipped. Four games in a row went to Alexandrova.

Sabalenka clawed back though. 4-4, thanks to a sharp forehand drop volley. Both players then double-faulted their way into a tiebreak, Sabalenka in game 11, Alexandrova in game 12.

Alexandrova took over from there. Won five of the last six points. Set one gone when Sabalenka’s forehand sailed wide.

Second set flipped completely. Alexandrova gifted a break with a long forehand, Sabalenka went 4-3 up, held twice more, forced a decider.

Third set is where it really got messy. Sabalenka down 3-1 after netting a forehand. Then Alexandrova double-faulted right back, 3-2.

By the 10th game Sabalenka was falling apart, three unforced errors handed Alexandrova break and match point. She saved both. A service winner, then an ace.

Didn’t matter in the end. Backhand long, then double fault number six. Match over.

“I just tried to play every single point as if it was the last one because with her, you don’t get a lot of chances during the match,” Alexandrova said after.

She admitted something too, after dropping that second set, she thought her shot was gone.

It wasn’t. She’s into the quarters now, facing Elina Svitolina, who knocked out American Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 6-4 earlier in the day.

For Sabalenka, the timing stings. US Open starts in a few weeks. She’s defending champion, chasing a third straight title there. This loss doesn’t change that plan, but it’s not the tune-up she wanted.