Aryna Sabalenka was stunned in the last 16 of the Canadian Open, losing to Ekaterina Alexandrova in three sets at the Toronto event.
Sabalenka lost 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 to the world no 11 to continue her bizarre 2026 season, which has included plenty of early exits from major tournaments.
The star has claimed three WTA titles this year, including the Sunshine Double, but she has also been beaten before the semi final stage at Wimbledon, the Italian Open, the Madrid Open, and Roland Garros.
It’s becoming a worrying trend for Sabalenka, who has been very consistent over the last two seasons, in which she has held the world No 1 spot very comfortably.
More Aryna Sabalenka news
One positive for Sabalenka after her Canadian Open defeat is she will continue to be the world No 1 no matter what happens at the Toronto event.
Elena Rybakina, who is closest to Sabalenka as the world No 2, is becoming close to usurpising the Belarusian star, but it won’t happen even if she wins the Canadian Open.
Should Rybakina claim the Canadian Open, which she is the favourite to do so now, she will be just four points behind Sabalenka in the WTA Tour rankings.
Rybakina plays Liudmila Samsonova in the round of 16 and she has been buoyed by several early exits at the Canadian Open so far.
The likes of Jessica Pegula, Mirra Andreeva, Linda Noskova, Amanda Anisimova, and Marta Kostyuk have exited before the quarter final stages.
The WTA Tour rankings after Aryna Sabalenka’s defeat
- 1. Aryna Sabalenka – 8670 ranking points
- 2. Elena Rybakina – 7786 ranking points
Currently, only Coco Gauff, Elina Svitolina, and Iga Swiatek still survive from the top ten of the WTA Tour rankings, alongside Rybakina, so it could be a very close run thing for the world No 1 spot heading into the Cincinnati Open.
Sabalenka exited the Cincinnati Open at the quarter final stages last season, so she will have a 215 ranking points to defend at the Masters tournament.
Rybakina, meanwhile, reached the semi finals of the event, so she will be defending 390 ranking points.
Should both players trajectories continue, Rybakina will have a major chance to become the world No 1 on the WTA Tour for the first time in her career.
However, Sabalenka now has the chance to reset and prepare for the tournament, knowing she will very likely need a deep run in order to continue her monstrous run at the summit of the WTA Tour.
Whatever happens during the North American swing, the battle between Sabalenka and Rybakina at the top of the rankings has been of the defining talking points of the season.
