Eala, Fernandez and Pegula Begin Toronto Campaigns | WTA Toronto 2026 Roundup

WTA Toronto 2026 Roundup | Day 4

The second round continued Wednesday at the National Bank Open, bringing another wave of seeded players into the Toronto draw.

For Tennis Roundup, this was a particularly interesting day: Alex Eala, Leylah Fernandez, Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva were among the players beginning their campaigns.

Eala arrived with perhaps the most momentum of anyone in the field, only two days removed from defeating Pegula in Washington to capture her first WTA Tour singles title.

Eala Carries Her Winning Form to Toronto

Alex Eala def. Alycia Parks

There wasn’t much recovery time between Washington and Toronto for Alex Eala.

After completing the rain-delayed Washington final on Monday, Eala traveled north and stepped immediately into another major tournament as Toronto’s No. 25 seed. Her Washington victory had made her the first Filipino to capture a WTA Tour-level singles title and pushed her to a new career-high ranking.

Against the powerful Alycia Parks, Eala successfully carried that momentum into Toronto and booked her place in the third round.

The interest surrounding her was already evident before she struck a ball. Toronto tournament director Karl Hale said demand surrounding Eala’s appearance had generated thousands of ticket sales, reflecting the enormous Filipino community following her run.

For Eala, though, the challenge was straightforward: put Washington behind her and start again.

She did exactly that.

Watch: Official WTA highlights — Eala vs. Parks

YouTube video player

A Taste of the Philippines in Toronto

Alex Eala’s presence in Toronto was being felt beyond the tennis court.

The National Bank Open added chicken adobo to its food court for the first time, with tournament director Karl Hale saying the Filipino favorite was introduced as a nod to Eala’s participation.

Hale also highlighted the strong support from Toronto’s Filipino community, adding another distinctly Filipino touch to Eala’s week at the tournament.

Source: The Manila Times

Fernandez Gives the Canadian Crowd Something to Cheer

Leylah Fernandez def. Renata Zarazua

Leylah Fernandez also made a winning start on home soil.

The No. 30 seed faced Mexico’s Renata Zarazua with plenty of Canadian support behind her and advanced into the third round.

Fernandez’s Toronto campaign carries a little extra significance. She’s one of Canada’s biggest names in the women’s draw, and every victory gives the home crowd another reason to become invested as the tournament develops.

Watch: Official WTA highlights — Zarazua vs Fernandez

YouTube video player

Pegula Resets After Washington

Jessica Pegula advances

Few players arrived in Toronto needing a quicker mental reset than Jessica Pegula.

Only two days earlier, Pegula had been on the opposite side of Eala’s historic Washington victory, losing the rain-delayed final 4–6, 6–4, 6–0.

Toronto offered an immediate opportunity to move on.

The No. 3 seed began another tournament where she has traditionally been dangerous and successfully moved through her opening match.

Pegula and Eala therefore both survived the abrupt Washington-to-Toronto turnaround — and both remained alive in the same WTA 1000 draw.

Andreeva Opens Her Campaign

Mirra Andreeva advances

Mirra Andreeva also joined the tournament Wednesday.

Still one of the most closely watched young players on the WTA Tour, the No. 5 seed entered Toronto among the leading contenders rather than simply as an emerging prospect.

That’s a significant shift in expectations: deep runs at major tournaments are increasingly expected from Andreeva, even at her young age.

Her first Toronto assignment was safely negotiated, sending her into Round 3.

Toronto’s Field Is Taking Shape

By the end of Day 4, virtually all of the leading seeds had entered the tournament.

Sabalenka, Swiatek and Keys had advanced Tuesday. Eala, Fernandez, Pegula and Andreeva followed into the action Wednesday.

And the tournament was about to become considerably less forgiving.

Round 3 means the protection provided by the first-round byes is gone. Seeded players begin running into increasingly dangerous opponents — and every match starts carrying more consequence.