Gauff and Osaka reach Toronto quarter-finals as Eala’s winning streak ends

American tennis player Coco Gauff reached the quarter-finals of the National Bank Open in Toronto on Sunday with a decisive 6-3, 6-1 victory over Russian teenager Alina Korneeva. With this win, Gauff becomes the second player after Martina Hingis to reach 25 quarter-finals at WTA 1000 level before turning 23. Hingis, who also achieved significant success as a teenager, reached this stage 39 times in the 1990s. Gauff opened the match by dropping her serve but immediately broke back, securing three of her opponent's four service games in the first set. She maintained her dominance in the second set, breaking all four of the Russian's service games. In total, Gauff won 42 of 68 points on her opponent's serve. In the day's opening match, second seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan defeated Russia's Liudmila Samsonova 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a contest lasting nearly three hours. The match featured 217 total points. Despite her serving statistics, Rybakina faced 13 break points, saving seven, while converting seven of her 17 break-point opportunities. After falling 3-0 behind in the deciding set, Rybakina won four consecutive games. Following a period where both players held serve, Rybakina won all four points in Samsonova's final service game to reach her fifth WTA 1000 quarter-final of 2026. Rybakina remarked after the match: "I knew it would be a very tough game. Playing Liudmila is always a battle. It is hard to find words; I am very tired but extremely happy. I was just trying to focus on every point." She added: "I know she is also an aggressive player. If I don't step up, she might take the initiative sooner. I am very happy to have reached the next round." In later matches, Naomi Osaka of Japan defeated Canada's Leylah Fernandez 6-4, 6-4. Osaka led 7-1 in aces and won 76.3% of her first-serve points (29 of 38), compared to 60% (21 of 35) for Fernandez. The match lasted one hour and 22 minutes. Elsewhere, 12th seed Belinda Bencic defeated Filipino breakout star Alexandra Eala 6-4, 6-0. Bencic converted six of 10 break-point opportunities, while Eala converted two of four. The defeat ended Eala’s seven-match winning streak, which began with her victory at the Mubadala Citi DC Open. Eala stated after the match that she plans to take a day or two off to clear her mind before travelling to Cincinnati, mentioning plans to get a haircut and a manicure. She added: "Toronto is a very good place to do that."