TORONTO — Canada is down to two hopefuls in the National Bank Open women’s singles draw. Marta Kostyuk recovered from a rocky start to defeat Toronto’s Katherine Sebov 7-6 (4), 6-0 in second-round action Tuesday. Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., opens her tournament as the No. 30 seed against Renata Zarazua on Wednesday, while wild-card entry Kayla Cross of London, Ont., will face No. 28 Ann Li after five other Canadians, including 2019 winner Bianca Andreescu, were eliminated in the first round. Sebov, also a wild card, was up 4-1 in the first set before Kostyuk battled back to 4-4. The Canadian was then on serve up 5-4, but her Ukrainian opponent responded to force a tiebreak at Sobeys Stadium. Coming off back-to-back Grand Slam semifinal appearances at the French Open and Wimbledon, the No. 10 seed flexed her muscles in the second set to secure a comfortable victory over Sebov, who sits 229th in the world. Other early action with seeded players advancing to the third round at the US$7.4-million event saw No. 7 seed Iga Swiatek cruise past Sara Bejlek 6-0, 6-3, No. 9 Elina Svitolina battle back to top Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-4, and No. 16 Ekaterina Alexandrova defeat Camila Osorio 6-3, 7-6 (4) on York University’s campus. Viktorija Golubic upset No. 31 Donna Vekic 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was set to open her tournament in the evening session in a second-round matchup with qualifier Moyuka Uchijima, who’s currently ranked 111th. No. 8 Amanda Anisimova was scheduled to play the late match on centre court, but advanced via walkover after the withdrawal of qualifier Lanlana Taraudee. Double trouble Tournament organizers announced Venus Williams and Alexandra Eala have been awarded the final doubles main-draw wild card. The 46-year-old Williams, who lost in first-round singles play, is a 14-time Grand Slam doubles champion, while 21-year-old Eala is ranked No. 20 in singles and just beat 2024 NBO winner Jessica Pegula in the D.C. Open final. “We know our fans will be incredibly excited to see Venus and Alexandra team up,” tournament director Karl Hale said in a statement. “Venus is a legend in our sport, while Alexandra’s popularity continues to soar, as does her level on the court.” Williams is also set to reunite with sister Serena in doubles at next week’s Cincinnati Open, their first tournament together since the 2022 U.S. Open. Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
