World No 1 Sabalenka Arrives in Toronto for Canadian Open

World number one Aryna Sabalenka has arrived in Toronto for the Canadian Open, seeking to regain her dominant hard-court form after early exits at the French Open and Wimbledon. The tournament, a key U.S. Open tune-up, began on August 2, 2026, with Sabalenka scheduled to play her opening match on Tuesday, August 4.

The top-ranked Belarusian, who has held the number one spot since October 2024, is coming off a fourth-round loss at Wimbledon to Naomi Osaka in early July. That followed a quarterfinal defeat at Roland Garros in June. Her sole hard-court loss this season was to Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final; she has won 23 of her 24 matches on the surface in 2026.

Sabalenka told reporters on Sunday that she used the recent break to reset, taking a holiday in Greece. She described the rest as much-needed after a physically and mentally taxing European swing. She expressed optimism about returning to her baseline strengths on hard courts, stating she was back to basics and hopeful for a strong performance.

Her position at the top of the rankings faces immediate challenge in Toronto. If Sabalenka fails to reach the round of 16, Rybakina could claim the number one ranking by...