Poland’s six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek won her first title of the 2026 season after beating World No. 2 Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-3 in the Canadian Open final in Toronto on Thursday, according to Olympics.com. Swiatek made a confident start against the reigning Australian Open champion and converted both of her break-point chances while saving both break opportunities created by Rybakina.&nbsp;The Polish World No. 8 remained in control in the second set and did not face a single break point and converted two of her three chances to finish the match in just 75 minutes.&nbsp;“I want to dedicate this title to everyone who is dealing with unfair judgement and hate,” Swiatek, the Paris 2024 women’s singles bronze medallist, said after the match, as quoted by Olympics.com.&nbsp;Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ind-vs-sl-india-bowling-coach-morkel-isn-t-worried-about-pacers-skills-but-heat-humidity-and-kookaburra-ball-1786689411651">IND vs SL: India coach Morkel worried about 'heat, humidity, &amp; Kookaburra ball'</a>&nbsp;The win also gave Swiatek a 7-6 advantage over Rybakina in their WTA Tour head-to-head record, ending her two-match losing streak against the Kazakh player.&nbsp;“Just keep pushing, keep growing, keep focusing on yourself because you know what’s best for you. And always remember what’s ahead and what might be possible,” she added.&nbsp;The Toronto triumph was Swiatek’s 12th WTA 1000 title. She moved past Aryna Sabalenka, who has 11, for the second-most WTA 1000 titles since the format began in 2009. Only Serena Williams, with 13 titles, is ahead of her.&nbsp;This was the second time Swiatek and Rybakina had met in a final, with Swiatek winning both encounters in straight sets. The victory also improved Swiatek’s record in WTA finals to 26-5, giving her the best winning percentage among players who have appeared in at least 20 WTA-level finals since the Tier format began in 1990.&nbsp;Also Read - <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/aus-vs-ban-1st-test-day-2-tanzid-stars-as-bangladesh-dominate-australia-1786700416628">AUS vs BAN, 1st Test Day 2: Tanzid stars as Bangladesh dominate Australia</a>&nbsp;Swiatek began her Toronto campaign with a bagel and lost only six games in her opening two matches. She then fought back to beat Marta Kostyuk in the Round of 16 before producing another dominant performance against Diana Shnaider, winning 6-1, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.&nbsp;In the semifinals, Swiatek defeated Elina Svitolina in three sets to reach the final, avenging her two three-set defeats to the Ukrainian earlier this season.&nbsp;&nbsp;With inputs from agencies

Iga Swiatek defeated Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-3 in the National Bank Open final in Toronto to claim her first WTA Tour title of 2026 and 26th career title.

Poland’s six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek won her first title of the 2026 season after beating World No. 2 Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-3 in the Canadian Open final in Toronto on Thursday, according to Olympics.com. Swiatek made a confident start against the reigning Australian Open champion and converted both of her break-point chances while saving both break opportunities created by Rybakina. The Polish World No. 8 remained in control in the second set and did not face a single break point and converted two of her three chances to finish the match in just 75 minutes. “I want to dedicate this title to everyone who is dealing with unfair judgement and hate,” Swiatek, the Paris 2024 women’s singles bronze medallist, said after the match, as quoted by Olympics.com. Also Read - IND vs SL: India coach Morkel worried about 'heat, humidity, & Kookaburra ball' The win also gave Swiatek a 7-6 advantage over Rybakina in their WTA Tour head-to-head record, ending her two-match losing streak against the Kazakh player. “Just keep pushing, keep growing, keep focusing on yourself because you know what’s best for you. And always remember what’s ahead and what might be possible,” she added. The Toronto triumph was Swiatek’s 12th WTA 1000 title. She moved past Aryna Sabalenka, who has 11, for the second-most WTA 1000 titles since the format began in 2009. Only Serena Williams, with 13 titles, is ahead of her. This was the second time Swiatek and Rybakina had met in a final, with Swiatek winning both encounters in straight sets. The victory also improved Swiatek’s record in WTA finals to 26-5, giving her the best winning percentage among players who have appeared in at least 20 WTA-level finals since the Tier format began in 1990. Also Read - AUS vs BAN, 1st Test Day 2: Tanzid stars as Bangladesh dominate Australia Swiatek began her Toronto campaign with a bagel and lost only six games in her opening two matches. She then fought back to beat Marta Kostyuk in the Round of 16 before producing another dominant performance against Diana Shnaider, winning 6-1, 6-2 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Swiatek defeated Elina Svitolina in three sets to reach the final, avenging her two three-set defeats to the Ukrainian earlier this season. With inputs from agencies

Iga Swiatek defeated Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-3 in the National Bank Open final in Toronto to claim her first WTA Tour title of 2026 and 26th career title.

Canadian Open: Iga Swiatek wins first title of 2026, beats Rybakina in final

US top-seed Coco Gauff advanced to the third round of the WTA Toronto Masters on Thursday with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over China's Wang Yafan. In her first match since&nbsp;being ousted from the Paris Olympics by Croatian Donna Vekic, the 20-year-old American fired six aces and connected on 60 percent of her first serves to dispatch Wang in 88 minutes.

"It was difficult," Gauff said. "I think I made some more errors than I'm used to but overall I think I was building the points the correct way. I just have to do better making those last two balls. "Overall, I'm happy with how I played."

Up next for the reigning US Open champion will be Russian 14th seed Diana Shnaider, who rallied to defeat Poland's Magdalena Frech 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5).

World number two Gauff is making the transition to hardcourts after a run to the fourth round at Wimbledon and an Olympic stint on clay at Roland Garros. "It would be special to win here, especially I'm trying to get my groove on hardcourt," Gauff said. "I'm not expecting much but I'm just trying to play some good tennis."

Gauff, a semi-finalist at this year's Australian and French Opens, has won six of her seven career WTA titles on hardcourts, the most recent at Auckland in January. Her lone exception is a clay crown at Italy in 2021.

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Two-time reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka advanced as well, eliminating China's Yuan Yue 6-2, 6-2 in 81 minutes. Next in the world number three's path is Britain's 33rd ranked Katie Boulter, who advanced when 13th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia retired from their match after only two games with a lower back injury.

US seventh seed Madison Keys retired with a left thigh injury down 3-0 in the third set against compatriot Peyton Stearns. Latvian fourth seed Jelena Ostapenko rallied to beat Spain's Paula Badosa, last week's WTA Washington winner, by 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2. Up next for the world number 11 is US lucky loser Taylor Townsend.

Russian sixth seed Liudmila Samsonova reached the round of 16 by ousting Japan's Moyuka Uchijima 6-4, 6-2 while Ukraine's 11th-seeded Marta Kostyuk eliminated compatriot Elina Svitolina 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.

US top-seed Coco Gauff advanced to the third round of the WTA Toronto Masters on Thursday with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over China's Wang Yafan. In her first match since being ousted from the Paris Olympics by Croatian Donna Vekic, the 20-year-old American fired six aces and connected on 60 percent of her first serves to dispatch Wang in 88 minutes.

US top-seed Coco Gauff advanced to the third round of the WTA Toronto Masters on Thursday with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over China's Wang Yafan. In her first match since being ousted from the Paris Olympics by Croatian Donna Vekic, the 20-year-old American fired six aces and connected on 60 percent of her first serves to dispatch Wang in 88 minutes. "It was difficult," Gauff said. "I think I made some more errors than I'm used to but overall I think I was building the points the correct way. I just have to do better making those last two balls. "Overall, I'm happy with how I played." Up next for the reigning US Open champion will be Russian 14th seed Diana Shnaider, who rallied to defeat Poland's Magdalena Frech 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5). World number two Gauff is making the transition to hardcourts after a run to the fourth round at Wimbledon and an Olympic stint on clay at Roland Garros. "It would be special to win here, especially I'm trying to get my groove on hardcourt," Gauff said. "I'm not expecting much but I'm just trying to play some good tennis." Gauff, a semi-finalist at this year's Australian and French Opens, has won six of her seven career WTA titles on hardcourts, the most recent at Auckland in January. Her lone exception is a clay crown at Italy in 2021. Also read: Paris Olympics 2024: India's Aman Sehrawat ousted in men's wrestling, to battle for bronze medal Two-time reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka advanced as well, eliminating China's Yuan Yue 6-2, 6-2 in 81 minutes. Next in the world number three's path is Britain's 33rd ranked Katie Boulter, who advanced when 13th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia retired from their match after only two games with a lower back injury. US seventh seed Madison Keys retired with a left thigh injury down 3-0 in the third set against compatriot Peyton Stearns. Latvian fourth seed Jelena Ostapenko rallied to beat Spain's Paula Badosa, last week's WTA Washington winner, by 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2. Up next for the world number 11 is US lucky loser Taylor Townsend. Russian sixth seed Liudmila Samsonova reached the round of 16 by ousting Japan's Moyuka Uchijima 6-4, 6-2 while Ukraine's 11th-seeded Marta Kostyuk eliminated compatriot Elina Svitolina 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.

Canadian Open: US top-seed Coco Gauff ousts Yafan Wang to move ahead

Romania`s Simona Halep fought off a late rally from Coco Gauff and Brazil`s Beatriz Haddad Maia pulled off another three-set upset as both made the semi-finals of the Canadian Open on Friday. Twice champion Halep secured a nervy 6-4 7-6(2) win on Friday and advance to the last four for a fifth time.

The former world number one, up a set and leading 4-1 in the second, looked headed for an easy passage into the last four. But Gauff dug in and rallied to force the second set to a tiebreak before 15th-seeded Halep finish off the 10th seed in the tiebreak to maintain her dominance over the American.

In four career meetings, including three this year, Gauff has yet to take a set off Halep, who next faces another American in seventh seed Jessica Pegula - a 6-3 6-3 winner over Kazakh Yulia Putintseva.

"I`m really pleased with the way I stayed there strong mentally," said Halep, after reaching her 29th career semi-final at a WTA 1000 event - more than any other player.

"And I fought for every point which was really important because she`s doing the same thing. Mentally I`m strong even if I struggled a little bit in the second set."

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Halep certainly struggled in the second as she twice served for the match at 5-4 and 6-5 only to be broken each time. But the twice Grand Slam winner refocused in the tiebreak to stop the contest going to a third and registered her 36th win this season behind only Iga Swiatek (48) and Ons Jabeur (37).

The 30-year-old also had to wrestle with her serve, committing eight double faults while giving French Open finalist Gauff plenty of chances with 12 break opportunities. Haddad Maia humbled 12th seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 to become the first Brazilian to reach the semi-finals of a WTA 1000 tournament.

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The 26-year-old from Sao Paulo, who stunned Polish world number one Iga Swiatek in the previous round, needed two hours and 11 minutes to edge past 2015 champion Bencic. She will meet former world number one Karolina Pliskova who prevailed 4-6 6-4 6-4 against Zheng Qinwen of China in the last quarter-final match.

Romania`s Simona Halep fought off a late rally from Coco Gauff and Brazil`s Beatriz Haddad Maia pulled off another three-set upset as both made the semi-finals of the Canadian Open on Friday.

Romania`s Simona Halep fought off a late rally from Coco Gauff and Brazil`s Beatriz Haddad Maia pulled off another three-set upset as both made the semi-finals of the Canadian Open on Friday. Twice champion Halep secured a nervy 6-4 7-6(2) win on Friday and advance to the last four for a fifth time. The former world number one, up a set and leading 4-1 in the second, looked headed for an easy passage into the last four. But Gauff dug in and rallied to force the second set to a tiebreak before 15th-seeded Halep finish off the 10th seed in the tiebreak to maintain her dominance over the American. In four career meetings, including three this year, Gauff has yet to take a set off Halep, who next faces another American in seventh seed Jessica Pegula - a 6-3 6-3 winner over Kazakh Yulia Putintseva. "I`m really pleased with the way I stayed there strong mentally," said Halep, after reaching her 29th career semi-final at a WTA 1000 event - more than any other player. "And I fought for every point which was really important because she`s doing the same thing. Mentally I`m strong even if I struggled a little bit in the second set." Also Read: ‘If I was a guy’- Serena Williams claims sexism played a major role in her retirement call Halep certainly struggled in the second as she twice served for the match at 5-4 and 6-5 only to be broken each time. But the twice Grand Slam winner refocused in the tiebreak to stop the contest going to a third and registered her 36th win this season behind only Iga Swiatek (48) and Ons Jabeur (37). The 30-year-old also had to wrestle with her serve, committing eight double faults while giving French Open finalist Gauff plenty of chances with 12 break opportunities. Haddad Maia humbled 12th seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 to become the first Brazilian to reach the semi-finals of a WTA 1000 tournament. Also Read: US Open: Big boost to Novak Djokovic's participation after USA confirms changes to COVID norms The 26-year-old from Sao Paulo, who stunned Polish world number one Iga Swiatek in the previous round, needed two hours and 11 minutes to edge past 2015 champion Bencic. She will meet former world number one Karolina Pliskova who prevailed 4-6 6-4 6-4 against Zheng Qinwen of China in the last quarter-final match.

Simona Halep fights off Coco Gauff, Haddad Maia stuns Bencic in Canadian Open

Casper Ruud reached his third ATP Masters 1000 semi-final of the season Friday after he defeated hometime favourite Felix Auger-Aliassime in the National Bank Open quarterfinals. The fourth seed recovered from dropping serve in the opening game as he closed out the match 6-1, 6-2 in 74-minute in Montreal.

"It was one of those days where everything goes in one favour and luckily it was in my favour. With a player like Felix, you need to rely on some margins going your way. I didn`t expect them to all go on my side," Ruud said in his on-court interview."It was a bit of a difficult start. I got broken but then was able to turn everything around. I hit my spots, made the shots I needed to and make him hit a lot of balls. That was the game plan and it worked well," he added."I am sure Felix has played better than he has today. He has for sure, I have seen it before. It is a pity because he is playing at home. Maybe that was a factor, you could be nervous, but I am not going to talk to Felix. It was a big moment. This arena was full today and I am lucky I was able to win," Ruud said.

On the other hand, Hubert Hurkacz ended Nick Kyrgios` winning streak at the tournament as he clinched the match to enter the semi-final on Friday in Montreal. Hurkacz delivered powerful blows from his own strings to advance after one hour and 46 minutes and improve clinch the victory7-6(4), 6-7(5), 6-1."Nick has been playing some incredible tennis throughout the past weeks, so it is a pleasure playing against him," Hurkacz said in his on-court interview."I hope the fans enjoyed it as well, but I am happy with the result in the end. I started really well. Nick was maybe a little bit injured, which might have hurt his serve. With both of us serving so well, that few per cent can make the difference," Hurkacz added.

Casper Ruud reached his third ATP Masters 1000 semi-final of the season Friday after he defeated hometime favourite Felix Auger-Aliassime in the National Bank Open quarterfinals.

Casper Ruud reached his third ATP Masters 1000 semi-final of the season Friday after he defeated hometime favourite Felix Auger-Aliassime in the National Bank Open quarterfinals. The fourth seed recovered from dropping serve in the opening game as he closed out the match 6-1, 6-2 in 74-minute in Montreal. "It was one of those days where everything goes in one favour and luckily it was in my favour. With a player like Felix, you need to rely on some margins going your way. I didn`t expect them to all go on my side," Ruud said in his on-court interview."It was a bit of a difficult start. I got broken but then was able to turn everything around. I hit my spots, made the shots I needed to and make him hit a lot of balls. That was the game plan and it worked well," he added."I am sure Felix has played better than he has today. He has for sure, I have seen it before. It is a pity because he is playing at home. Maybe that was a factor, you could be nervous, but I am not going to talk to Felix. It was a big moment. This arena was full today and I am lucky I was able to win," Ruud said. On the other hand, Hubert Hurkacz ended Nick Kyrgios` winning streak at the tournament as he clinched the match to enter the semi-final on Friday in Montreal. Hurkacz delivered powerful blows from his own strings to advance after one hour and 46 minutes and improve clinch the victory7-6(4), 6-7(5), 6-1."Nick has been playing some incredible tennis throughout the past weeks, so it is a pleasure playing against him," Hurkacz said in his on-court interview."I hope the fans enjoyed it as well, but I am happy with the result in the end. I started really well. Nick was maybe a little bit injured, which might have hurt his serve. With both of us serving so well, that few per cent can make the difference," Hurkacz added.

Canadian Open: Casper Ruud defeats Felix Auger-Aliassime to enter SFs; Nick Kyrgios ousted

The first stop on Serena Williams` farewell tour came to a quick end as she fell 6-2 6-4 to Belinda Bencic in second-round action at the Canadian Open on Wednesday a day after announcing her forthcoming retirement from tennis.

Williams arrived on the court to a standing ovation and had the full support of the capacity crowd throughout the 77-minute match but was unable to conjure up the old magic that helped her lift three titles in Canada.

"It`s been a pretty interesting 24 hours ... I`m terrible at goodbyes. But, goodbye Toronto," an emotional Williams told the crowd. 
"I always had amazing times here both on and off the court. I`ll be coming back just as a visitor to the city but otherwise its been remarkable."

After the match, Williams was presented with team jerseys of Toronto`s NBA and NHL teams for her and her daughter, who was in attendance, as well as a bouquet of flowers that she carried off the court while wiping back tears.

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Prior to the match, a tribute video was played featuring comments from tennis pioneer Billie Jean King, current players like Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu as well as ice hockey great Wayne Gretzky and highlights of Williams` Canadian triumphs.

The highly-anticipated match was played a day after 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams revealed in a Vogue article that she was "evolving away from tennis" and planned to retire from the sport she has dominated for over two decades.

Olympic champion Bencic saved the lone break point she faced in the opening set and broke Williams twice to jump ahead 5-2 but the Swiss 12th seed then needed five set points to clinch the opening frame.

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In the second set, Bencic got the one break she needed to go ahead 4-3 when Williams struck a double-fault and the Swiss never looked back as she sealed the match on her serve when Williams sent a return long.

"It was a lot of emotions obviously," Williams said about how it felt to take the court. "I love playing here, I`ve always loved playing here. I wish I could`ve played better but Belinda played so well today."

Up next for Bencic will be Spanish eighth seed Garbine Muguruza, who was a 6-4 6-4 winner over Estonia`s Kaia Kanepi. 
Among the others reaching the last 16 of the tune-up event for the Aug. 29-Sept. 11 U.S. Open were world number one Iga Swiatek, defending champion Camila Giorgi, Coco Gauff, Simona Halep, Karolina Pliskova, Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka. 
 
&nbsp;

The first stop on Serena Williams` farewell tour came to a quick end as she fell 6-2 6-4 to Belinda Bencic in second-round action at the Canadian Open on Wednesday a day after announcing her forthcoming retirement from tennis.

The first stop on Serena Williams` farewell tour came to a quick end as she fell 6-2 6-4 to Belinda Bencic in second-round action at the Canadian Open on Wednesday a day after announcing her forthcoming retirement from tennis. Williams arrived on the court to a standing ovation and had the full support of the capacity crowd throughout the 77-minute match but was unable to conjure up the old magic that helped her lift three titles in Canada. "It`s been a pretty interesting 24 hours ... I`m terrible at goodbyes. But, goodbye Toronto," an emotional Williams told the crowd. "I always had amazing times here both on and off the court. I`ll be coming back just as a visitor to the city but otherwise its been remarkable." After the match, Williams was presented with team jerseys of Toronto`s NBA and NHL teams for her and her daughter, who was in attendance, as well as a bouquet of flowers that she carried off the court while wiping back tears. ALSO READ: Former world No. 1 Serena Williams drops a bomb, announces her retirement Prior to the match, a tribute video was played featuring comments from tennis pioneer Billie Jean King, current players like Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu as well as ice hockey great Wayne Gretzky and highlights of Williams` Canadian triumphs. The highly-anticipated match was played a day after 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams revealed in a Vogue article that she was "evolving away from tennis" and planned to retire from the sport she has dominated for over two decades. Olympic champion Bencic saved the lone break point she faced in the opening set and broke Williams twice to jump ahead 5-2 but the Swiss 12th seed then needed five set points to clinch the opening frame. ALSO READ: Serena Williams announces retirement: A look at 23 Grand Slams won by tennis great In the second set, Bencic got the one break she needed to go ahead 4-3 when Williams struck a double-fault and the Swiss never looked back as she sealed the match on her serve when Williams sent a return long. "It was a lot of emotions obviously," Williams said about how it felt to take the court. "I love playing here, I`ve always loved playing here. I wish I could`ve played better but Belinda played so well today." Up next for Bencic will be Spanish eighth seed Garbine Muguruza, who was a 6-4 6-4 winner over Estonia`s Kaia Kanepi. Among the others reaching the last 16 of the tune-up event for the Aug. 29-Sept. 11 U.S. Open were world number one Iga Swiatek, defending champion Camila Giorgi, Coco Gauff, Simona Halep, Karolina Pliskova, Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka.

Serena Williams crumbles to defeat against Belinda Bencic in the first round of her farewell tour

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/bianca-andreescu-not-done-yet-after-grand-slam-breakthrough-248802">Bianca Andreescu</a> said that she has "forgotten how it feels to lose" after the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/canadian-teen-bianca-andreescu-topples-record-chasing-serena-williams-in-us-open-final-248338">US Open</a> champion reeled off her 14th victory in a row on Monday in Beijing.

The 19-year-old Canadian beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 in the China Open first round despite a second-set wobble.

But Simona Halep became the first major casualty in the Chinese capital, beaten by Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova, with the Romanian appearing to struggle with a back injury.

Andreescu's run of victories has brought her the US Open and her home Canadian Open in recent weeks, propelling her into the limelight.

"I wanted to just keep the momentum going," said the teenager, after her first match since stunning Serena Williams in the final at Flushing Meadows in early September.

"I'm on a roll right now, hopefully, I can just keep it up because I think it gives me a lot of confidence," added the world number six, who has qualified for the season-ending WTA Finals.

"I don't want to sound cocky or anything, but I kind of forgot how it feels to lose, which I think is a good thing."

Andreescu looked all set to carry on her blistering form against Sasnovich and emphatically captured the first set.

But she struggled with her serve in the second, totting up six double faults and was in danger of losing her cool in the Beijing heat and haze.

Normal order was restored in the deciding set, Andreescu breaking Sasnovich's first service game and then holding her own to take a 3-0 lead and an advantage she refused to surrender.

In round two the Canadian plays Elise Mertens, the world number 23 from Belgium.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/fight-for-your-dreams-bianca-andreescu-embraces-path-to-us-open-joy-248384">Andreescu</a> said that her stunning victory at the US Open had yet to fully sink in, even three weeks on.

"But I think I've learnt a lot from the past couple of weeks, during the tournament, even after the tournament with all the media, all that," she said.

"I think I'm managing it really well. I think that's why I feel good coming into this tournament."

There was no such joy for the reigning Wimbledon champion Halep, who lost 6-2, 6-3 in 64 minutes to bring her China Open to an early end.

Halep, fifth in the world, was far from her best as she went down meekly to the 38th-ranked Alexandrova in the second round.

The 28-year-old was also forced out of last week's Wuhan Open because of her troublesome back, which she says has plagued her for more than a decade.

China Open title-holder Caroline Wozniacki swatted aside Lauren Davis of the United States, 6-1, 6-3, to give her the perfect start to the defence of her crown.

Bianca Andreescu said that she has "forgotten how it feels to lose" after the US Open champion reeled off her 14th victory in a row on Monday in Beijing. The 19-year-old Canadian beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 in the China Open first round despite a second-set wobble.

Bianca Andreescu said that she has "forgotten how it feels to lose" after the US Open champion reeled off her 14th victory in a row on Monday in Beijing. The 19-year-old Canadian beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 in the China Open first round despite a second-set wobble. But Simona Halep became the first major casualty in the Chinese capital, beaten by Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova, with the Romanian appearing to struggle with a back injury. Andreescu's run of victories has brought her the US Open and her home Canadian Open in recent weeks, propelling her into the limelight. "I wanted to just keep the momentum going," said the teenager, after her first match since stunning Serena Williams in the final at Flushing Meadows in early September. "I'm on a roll right now, hopefully, I can just keep it up because I think it gives me a lot of confidence," added the world number six, who has qualified for the season-ending WTA Finals. "I don't want to sound cocky or anything, but I kind of forgot how it feels to lose, which I think is a good thing." Andreescu looked all set to carry on her blistering form against Sasnovich and emphatically captured the first set. But she struggled with her serve in the second, totting up six double faults and was in danger of losing her cool in the Beijing heat and haze. Normal order was restored in the deciding set, Andreescu breaking Sasnovich's first service game and then holding her own to take a 3-0 lead and an advantage she refused to surrender. In round two the Canadian plays Elise Mertens, the world number 23 from Belgium. Andreescu said that her stunning victory at the US Open had yet to fully sink in, even three weeks on. "But I think I've learnt a lot from the past couple of weeks, during the tournament, even after the tournament with all the media, all that," she said. "I think I'm managing it really well. I think that's why I feel good coming into this tournament." There was no such joy for the reigning Wimbledon champion Halep, who lost 6-2, 6-3 in 64 minutes to bring her China Open to an early end. Halep, fifth in the world, was far from her best as she went down meekly to the 38th-ranked Alexandrova in the second round. The 28-year-old was also forced out of last week's Wuhan Open because of her troublesome back, which she says has plagued her for more than a decade. China Open title-holder Caroline Wozniacki swatted aside Lauren Davis of the United States, 6-1, 6-3, to give her the perfect start to the defence of her crown.

'Forgot how it feels to lose,' says Bianca Andreescu after 14th win on spin

Venezuela&#39;s Jhonattan Vegas started fast and finished strong on Sunday to seize a one-shot victory in the US PGA Tour&#39;s Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club near Toronto on Sunday. 
 
Vegas&#39;s eight-under par 64 included plenty of fireworks, starting with five straight birdies from the second through the sixth holes. 
He capped his round with a burst of three straight birdies, carding nine overall with one bogey for a 12-under par total of 276. 
 
&quot;I knew I had to get off to a fast start,&quot; said Vegas, who was five off the pace when play began. &quot;I know that I was in striking distance, but I had to get myself close to the lead early so the guys kind of know I was there.&nbsp;So I just kept pushing and kept firing at pins and kept really going right after it. I got a really good momentum, and obviously I was able to close it out with some birdies.&quot; 
 
Dustin Johnson, a co-leader after each of the first two rounds who was tied for second heading into Sunday, shot a final-round 69 and finished in a three-way tie for second on 277. 
 
He was joined by Spain&#39;s Jon Rahm, who closed with a bogey-free 67 that included a birdie on the final hole, and Scotland&#39;s Martin Laird, who also signed for a 67. 
 
Overnight leader Brandt Snedeker fired a one-under 71 that left him in a group on 278 alongside fellow Americans Ricky Barnes (68) and Steve Wheatcroft (69) and Germany&#39;s Alex Cejka (69). 
 
Australia&#39;s Geoff Ogilvy tied for the best round of the tournament, a 63, to surge from 44th place to a tie for ninth on 279. The group also included Canadian amateur Jared du Toit, who carded a 71.&nbsp;World number one and defending champion Jason Day of Australia closed with a 67 to finish tied for 14th on 281. 
 
Vegas, 29, earned his second PGA Tour win more than five years after capturing his first at the 2011 Bob Hope Classic.&nbsp;Sunday&#39;s victory gives him a two-year Tour exemption as well as berths in the PGA Championship next week at Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey and in next year&#39;s Masters at Augusta National. 
 
(AFP)

Jhonattan Vegas earned his second PGA Tour win more than five years after capturing his first at the 2011 Bob Hope Classic

Venezuela's Jhonattan Vegas started fast and finished strong on Sunday to seize a one-shot victory in the US PGA Tour's Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club near Toronto on Sunday. Vegas's eight-under par 64 included plenty of fireworks, starting with five straight birdies from the second through the sixth holes. He capped his round with a burst of three straight birdies, carding nine overall with one bogey for a 12-under par total of 276. "I knew I had to get off to a fast start," said Vegas, who was five off the pace when play began. "I know that I was in striking distance, but I had to get myself close to the lead early so the guys kind of know I was there. So I just kept pushing and kept firing at pins and kept really going right after it. I got a really good momentum, and obviously I was able to close it out with some birdies." Dustin Johnson, a co-leader after each of the first two rounds who was tied for second heading into Sunday, shot a final-round 69 and finished in a three-way tie for second on 277. He was joined by Spain's Jon Rahm, who closed with a bogey-free 67 that included a birdie on the final hole, and Scotland's Martin Laird, who also signed for a 67. Overnight leader Brandt Snedeker fired a one-under 71 that left him in a group on 278 alongside fellow Americans Ricky Barnes (68) and Steve Wheatcroft (69) and Germany's Alex Cejka (69). Australia's Geoff Ogilvy tied for the best round of the tournament, a 63, to surge from 44th place to a tie for ninth on 279. The group also included Canadian amateur Jared du Toit, who carded a 71. World number one and defending champion Jason Day of Australia closed with a 67 to finish tied for 14th on 281. Vegas, 29, earned his second PGA Tour win more than five years after capturing his first at the 2011 Bob Hope Classic. Sunday's victory gives him a two-year Tour exemption as well as berths in the PGA Championship next week at Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey and in next year's Masters at Augusta National. (AFP)

Vegas powers to Canadian Open victory

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