In the second round of the National Bank Open, top-seeded Coco Gauff showed her dominance by defeating Yafan Wang with a score of 6-4, 6-2. Gauff, who is gearing up for her U.S. Open title defense, played her first hard-court match since the Miami Open in April. Despite facing challenges transitioning between different surfaces, Gauff expressed her satisfaction with the match, stating, “It’s not easy transitioning from all these different surfaces in such a short amount of time.”
Second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, the Australian Open winner, also secured a victory in the night session against Yue Yuan. While Sabalenka admitted that she didn’t play her best tennis, she was pleased with her ability to maintain focus throughout the match. Reflecting on her performance, Sabalenka said, “Really happy that I was able to stay focused no matter what.”
In other matches, Elise Mertens defeated Naomi Osaka with a score of 6-3, 6-4. Osaka, a former No. 1 player with four Grand Slam titles, is gradually returning to form following maternity leave. Additionally, fourth-seeded Jelena Ostapenko outlasted Paula Badosa in a tough battle that ended with a score of 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2. Badosa, who recently won the Washington title, displayed resilience in her comeback from a back injury.
Several other players secured victories in the second round of the National Bank Open. Daria Kasatkina, Liudmila Samsonova, Emma Navarro, and Anna Kalinskaya all advanced to the next stage of the tournament. However, Madison Keys was forced to retire from her match against Peyton Stearns due to a thigh injury. Despite the setback, Kasatkina, Samsonova, Navarro, and Kalinskaya delivered strong performances to secure their spots in the next round.
Canadian Leylah Fernandez, seeded 15th, faced a defeat in the second round against qualifier Ashlyn Krueger, with a score of 6-4, 6-2. Another Canadian player, Marina Stakusic, a 19-year-old wild card entrant, suffered a loss against Taylor Townsend with a score of 6-0, 6-2. Though the Canadian contingent faced challenges on day two of the tournament, their participation added excitement and local support to the National Bank Open.
Overall, the second round of the National Bank Open featured intense matches, surprising upsets, and impressive victories. As the tournament progresses, tennis fans can look forward to more thrilling encounters and standout performances from the world’s top players.