Coco Gauff, the top seed, cruised past Yafan Wang 6-4, 6-2 in the second round of the National Bank Open on Thursday. This victory marks Gauff’s first hard-court match since the Miami Open in April, as she prepares for her U.S. Open title defense. The 20-year-old American, fresh off a third-round loss on clay at the Paris Olympics, acknowledged the challenges of transitioning between surfaces in a short period. “It’s not easy transitioning from all these different surfaces in such a short amount of time,” she said. “Happy to get pushed through.”
In the night session, second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, the Australian Open champion, defeated Yue Yuan 6-2, 6-2. Despite not feeling at her best, Sabalenka maintained her focus throughout the match. “I wouldn’t say that I played my best tennis,” Sabalenka admitted. “Really happy that I was able to stay focused no matter what.”
Elise Mertens emerged victorious in a late match, overcoming former No. 1 player Naomi Osaka 6-3, 6-4. Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, is gradually regaining her form following maternity leave. Earlier, fourth-seeded Jelena Ostapenko battled past Paula Badosa 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2. Badosa, who recently won the Washington title after recovering from a back injury, put up a strong fight against Ostapenko.
Other notable wins include Daria Kasatkina, Liudmila Samsonova, Emma Navarro, and Anna Kalinskaya. Madison Keys, seeded seventh, was forced to retire from her match against Peyton Stearns due to a thigh injury while trailing 3-0 in the third set.
Canadian Leylah Fernandez, seeded 15th, suffered a disappointing loss to qualifier Ashlyn Krueger 6-4, 6-2. Marina Stakusic, a 19-year-old wild card from nearby Mississauga, was defeated 6-0, 6-2 by Taylor Townsend.
