In the biggest upset of the Canadian Open in Toronto, Ekaterina Alexandrova pulled off a remarkable win over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round of the WTA 1000 event. Following her impressive triumph, Alexandrova opened up about her approach to the encounter and the mindset that helped her emerge victorious.
What Ekaterina Alexandrova Said After Upsetting Aryna Sabalenka at the Canadian Open
With her title defense at the US Open looming, Sabalenka made a strong start to her North American hardcourt swing by claiming dominant straight-set wins over Moyuka Uchijima and Zhang Shuai in her opening matches at the Canadian Open.
However, the world No. 1 faced a tough test against No. 16 seed Alexandrova, who kicked off their fourth-round clash by edging the opening set. Although Sabalenka responded strongly to clinch the second set and then saved two match points in the decider, she could not complete the comeback.
Instead, Alexandrova held her nerve to secure a 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4 victory after a 2-hour, 29-minute battle, leveling their head-to-head record at 5-5 and booking her spot in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event.
Appearing on the Tennis Channel after her win, Alexandrova revealed that she had braced herself for a difficult encounter and decided to take an aggressive approach, taking as many risks as possible to create opportunities against Sabalenka.
“I didn’t have any expectations before the match. The only thing, I knew it was going to be super difficult. And when I went on the court, I was trying to risk as much as possible because, I don’t know, it felt like it was the only way today to create some chances and it caused maybe more mistakes. But in the same way, it created more opportunities for me,” Alexandrova said.
Acknowledging Sabalenka as a formidable opponent, Alexandrova said she did not put any pressure on herself and instead focused on delivering her best performance.
“So I tried to keep it the same way from the start to the finish. But with her, it’s always difficult. Sometimes you have your chances and next minute you don’t. So honestly, I wasn’t trying to think about the score or anything like beating the No. 1. I was just trying to do my best today,” she added.
The Russian also reflected on the “painful” moment when she squandered two match points in the third set, explaining how she overcame the negativity and eventually sealed the win.
“I mean, I was at some moment because I got the huge chance and the next moment I lost it. And it was really painful. But in the same way I was trying to think ‘I created that chance. So maybe next time I can do the same.’ And I think it’s maybe the only thing that helped me tonight, because otherwise I don’t know,” she said.
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Following her win over Aryna Sabalenka, Ekaterina Alexandrova is set to lock horns with No. 9 seed Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open. Meanwhile, Sabalenka will turn her attention to the Cincinnati Open, which is scheduled to begin on August 13.
