FILIPINO tennis star Alexandra Eala ended her campaign at the Canadian Open after bowing to Swiss No. 12 Belinda Bencic, 4-6, 0-6, on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026 (PH time) in Toronto.
Bencic, who won the tournament in 2015, advanced to the quarterfinals where she will meet American No. 4 Coco Gauff, a 6-3, 6-1 winner over Alina Korneeva.
Eala, who reached a career-best No. 20 in the WTA singles ranking after winning the Mubadala DC Open last week, defeated Americans Alycia Parks, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, and Cathy McNally, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, to reach the Round of 16.
Toronto continued to be a happy hunting ground for Bencic, according to a WTA news release.
The former champion and No. 12 seed reached the National Bank Open quarterfinals for the third time in Toronto and fourth overall, including a quarterfinal appearance in Montreal.
In their first WTA Tour meeting, Bencic seized control in the ninth game of the opening set, breaking Eala’s serve before holding to take it 6-4. The Swiss then dominated the second set, winning all six games to complete the victory in 1 hour, 13 minutes.
The victory was Bencic’s 18th at the National Bank Open, the most she has recorded at any WTA 1000 event. Her next-highest total is 15 at Indian Wells.
Bencic also improved to 15-4 on hard courts this season, a surface on which she has won eight of her 10 career singles titles.
It was her 10th straight victory against a left-handed player, dating to 2024 — a statistic that even surprised the 29-year-old Swiss.
“I feel like it can’t be coincidental, I don’t think,” Bencic said in the WTA news release. “It’s weird for me as well because I really hate playing lefties and it’s just not comfortable, like the entire match you are uncomfortable, but maybe I feel like because I have good timing, I’m kind of able to switch. I think that’s the only thing I can think of because I really don’t like playing them.”
Bencic also reached the quarterfinals of a WTA 1000 event for the 13th time in her career and second this season. She made the last eight in Miami, where she lost to Gauff.
Farewell Aryna, Jessica
Meanwhile, top seed Aryna Sabalenka and third seed Jessica Pegula also exited the WTA 1000 event.
The world No. 1 Sabalenka suffered a defeat to 19th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 4-6, while Pegula lost to 15th seed Diana Shnaider, 3-6, 3-6.
Alexandrova will next face Ukrainian No. 9 seed Elina Svitolina, who ousted American No. 8 seed Amanda Anisimova, 6-2, 6-4.
Shnaider, on the other hand, will meet Polish No. 7 Iga Swiatek, who prevailed over Ukrainian No. 10 Marta Kostyuk, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2.
Second seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan survived Liudmila Samsonova, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, to advance against Japanese No. 11 Naomi Osaka, who pulled off a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Canadian No. 30 Leylah Fernandez. / PNA
