Samsonova upsets Sabalenka, Pegula holds off Gauff at Canadian Open

MONTREAL: World number two Aryna Sabalenka crashed out of the Canadian Open on Friday, falling 7-6(2) 4-6 6-3 to Liudmila Samsonova in the last 16, while top American Jessica Pegula held off compatriot Coco Gauff 6-2 5-7 7-5 to reach the semi-finals. Sabalenka, who arrived in Montreal with a chance to claim the number one spot from Iga Swiatek, showed plenty of fight in the nearly three-hour centre court battle but won only two of 13 break points while making 11 double faults, many at key moments. Samsonova got two breaks from six chances which helped the 15th-seeded Russian into the last eight where she meets Swiss Belinda Bencic, a 6-7(3) 6-3 6-1 winner over seventh-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova in a clash of former champions. Both players will have little time to savour the upsets with their quarter-final set for later on Friday. Sabalenka, winner of three titles this season including the Australian Open, blasted 13 aces but more than offset those with double faults, and one gave Samsonova the decisive break to move 5-3 ahead in the third, allowing her to serve out the match.

World number three Pegula kept her nerve against her frequent doubles partner Gauff and confidently marched through the first set but her serve lost its potency and Gauff kept the game alive when she converted a break point in the final game of the second set. Pegula got back on track when she broke Gauff in the third game of the third set but let the world number seven convert a break point when she whacked a backhand into the net in the eighth game. Fresh off the biggest win of her career in Washington, Gauff was unable to keep the momentum on her side as she handed Pegula the break and lead in the penultimate game with a double fault, one of nine across the match. Pegula sealed the match with an ace before greeting her friend at the net. Next up for Pegula is world number one Iga Swiatek, who battled past American Danielle Collins 6-3 4-6 6-2 in the evening session.