Elina Svitolina and Simona Halep progress in Montreal as big names crash out

WTA Tour
Elina Svitolina smiling

Defending champion Elina Svitolina kept her Rogers Cup title defence alive by British number one Johanna Konta on a day that five former grand slam champions were dumped from the competition.

The number five seed made short work of her third-round clash with Konta in Montreal, scoring a 6-3 6-4 victory after just 85 minutes on court.

The Ukrainian WTA Tour star rallied from a break down in the second set to win the last four games on the bounce and seal her fourth straight win against the British player, who was playing her second match of the day due to a rain delay on day three.

Svitolina will now face Elise Mertens in the final eight, after the Belgian beat Aryna Sabalenka 2-6 7-6 6-0.

Like Konta, Sabalenka faced a double-header on Thursday, and was responsible for the fall of another grand slam champion – Caroline Wozniacki.

The unseeded Belarusian saved three match points to beat Wozniacki 5-7 6-2 7-6  – but found the number 14 seed too much as she launched a decisive surge to clinch a second-set tiebreak and go on to win.

World number one Simona Halep fared better with her double-header, though, winning both her matches on Thursday and booking her place in the quarter-finals.

Her next opponent will be number six seed Caroline Garcia, who overcame Maria Sharapova 6-3 6-2.

Meanwhile, number eight seed and former Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova also crashed out of the competition, as Kiki Bertens took a straightforward 6-3 6-2 win.

She will now face Australia’s Ashleigh Barty, who toppled France’s Alize Cornet 7-6 6-4.

Elsewhere, reigning US Open champion Sloane Stephens defeated Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2 7-5 to set up a quarter-final encounter with Anastasija Sevastova.

The Latvian beat number 10 seed Julia Goerges 6-3 7-6.

Elina Svitolina Simona Halep

Latest