Eala, Fernandez and Korneeva Advance as Andreeva Exits | WTA Toronto 2026
WTA Toronto 2026 Roundup | Day 6
Friday delivered another eventful day at the National Bank Open, with Alexandra Eala extending her winning run, Leylah Fernandez producing one of the day’s standout victories and qualifier Alina Korneeva continuing an impressive breakthrough week.
Naomi Osaka and Elena Rybakina also advanced in straight sets, while Mirra Andreeva’s Toronto singles campaign came to an abrupt end.
Here is the complete Friday roundup.
Eala Survives McNally in Three Sets
Alexandra Eala def. Caty McNally — 6–3, 5–7, 6–4
Alexandra Eala’s North American hard-court run continues.
But Eala’s path through the match wasn’t straightforward. After taking a fall in the second set and receiving treatment on her right foot, she lost the set before recovering in the decider to complete the victory.
The victory sends Eala into the Round of 16, where she will face Belinda Bencic.
Bencic presents a different challenge. The Swiss likes taking the ball early and redirecting pace, while Eala’s left-handed patterns, movement and ability to change direction have been particularly effective during her recent run.
🎥 Watch: Official WTA highlights — Eala vs. McNally
Fernandez Stuns Andreeva in Straight Sets
Leylah Fernandez def. Mirra Andreeva — 6–1, 6–4 absolutely wants Player of the Day treatment.
One of Friday’s biggest results belonged to Canada’s Leylah Fernandez.
Fernandez overwhelmed the No. 5 seed in the opening set and never allowed Andreeva to settle into the kind of point construction that has helped establish the young Russian among the tour’s leading players.
The 6–1 opening set was particularly striking.
Andreeva improved in the second, but Fernandez maintained enough pressure to complete an impressive straight-sets victory in front of the Canadian crowd.
Fernandez will next face Naomi Osaka.
That creates an intriguing contrast: Fernandez’s speed, defense and left-handed angles against one of the most powerful first-strike players in women’s tennis.
🎥 Watch: Official WTA highlights — Fernandez vs. Andreeva
Osaka Cruises Past Mertens
Naomi Osaka def. Elise Mertens — 6–1, 6–2
Naomi Osaka produced one of Friday’s most convincing performances.
Mertens is rarely an easy opponent, but Osaka controlled proceedings from the opening games and dropped only three games in the match.
The result adds another interesting storyline to Toronto.
When Osaka begins striking the ball this cleanly on a North American hard court, she becomes a difficult opponent for anyone in the draw.
🎥 Watch: Official WTA highlights — Osaka vs. Mertens
Korneeva’s Breakthrough Run Continues
Alina Korneeva def. Iva Jovic — 6–3, 6–4
Alina Korneeva is rapidly becoming one of the stories of the tournament.
The young Russian qualifier defeated No. 13 seed Iva Jovic in straight sets to reach the Round of 16.
For followers of junior tennis, Korneeva’s talent is hardly a revelation.
She won the Australian Open girls’ singles championship in 2023, defeating Mirra Andreeva in the final, before adding the Roland-Garros girls’ title later that year.
Andreeva made the transition to elite WTA tennis remarkably quickly. Korneeva’s progression has taken a different route, but Toronto is beginning to provide evidence that her junior success can translate to the senior tour.
Her reward is the biggest test of the run so far:
Coco Gauff.
A competitive performance against one of the world’s leading players would tell us considerably more about how close Korneeva is to establishing herself at this level.
🎥 Watch: Official WTA highlights — Korneeva vs. Jovic
Gauff Moves Through in Straight Sets
Coco Gauff def. Maria Sakkari — 6–1, 6–4
Coco Gauff controlled the opening set before Sakkari offered considerably more resistance in the second.
Gauff nevertheless completed the match in straight sets and remains firmly in contention for the Toronto title.
🎥 Watch: Official WTA highlights — Gauff vs. Sakkari
Rybakina Advances Past Li
Elena Rybakina def. Ann Li — 6–2, 7–5
Elena Rybakina moved safely into the next round after overcoming a stronger second-set challenge from Ann Li.
The opening set was relatively comfortable, but Li made Rybakina work considerably harder in the second before the former Wimbledon champion closed the match 7–5.
Rybakina next faces Liudmila Samsonova.
With two of the tour’s heavier hitters on opposite sides of the net, serve and first-strike tennis should play a major role.
🎥 Watch: Official WTA highlights — Li vs. Rybakina
Samsonova Survives Joint Challenge
Liudmila Samsonova def. Maya Joint — 7–5, 6–7(3), 6–2
Maya Joint pushed Liudmila Samsonova through three sets, taking the second-set tiebreak before Samsonova regained control in the decider.
The 6–2 final set ended Joint’s Toronto run while keeping Samsonova moving through a competitive section of the draw.
🎥 Watch: Official WTA highlights — Joint vs. Samsonova
Bencic Wins Three-Set Battle With Townsend
Belinda Bencic def. Taylor Townsend — 6–7(5), 7–6(4), 6–4
One of the day’s longest battles went to Belinda Bencic.
Townsend took the opening set in a tiebreak and came close to finishing the match in two, but Bencic responded by winning another tiebreak in the second.
The Swiss eventually completed the comeback 6–4 in the deciding set.
It was a physically demanding route into the Round of 16 and could become relevant as the tournament progresses.
🎥 Watch: Official WTA highlights — Townsend vs. Bencic
Player of the Day: Leylah Fernandez
There were several candidates, but Fernandez gets the nod.
Beating Mirra Andreeva is a significant result.
Doing it 6–1, 6–4 makes the performance considerably more noteworthy.
Fernandez’s ability to absorb pace, defend difficult positions and redirect the ball prevented Andreeva from establishing control of enough rallies.
The Canadian also handled the occasion extremely well in front of a home crowd.
Toronto suddenly has another Canadian storyline to follow.
Rising Player Watch: Alina Korneeva
Junior success guarantees nothing at WTA level.
That’s precisely why Korneeva’s Toronto run matters.
Coming through qualifying and then continuing to win in the main draw demonstrates something more valuable than one spectacular upset: repeatability.
The next stage is considerably harder.
Playing Gauff will expose Korneeva to the athleticism, defensive coverage and physical intensity found at the very top of women’s tennis.
Whatever the result, it should provide an excellent indication of where her game currently stands.
Doubles Roundup
Singles wasn’t the only action in Toronto.
Storm Hunter / Desirae Krawczyk continued their campaign with an impressive 6–4, 6–0 victory over Katarzyna Piter and Janice Tjen.
Krawczyk has been among the tour’s established doubles specialists for years, and the emphatic second set suggests the partnership is settling nicely into the tournament.
Elsewhere, Coco Gauff / Caty McNally survived one of the day’s closest doubles contests, defeating Ekaterina Alexandrova / Gabriela Dabrowski 3–6, 6–3, 11–9.
Jessica Pegula / McCartney Kessler were eliminated by Sara Errani / Nicole Melichar-Martinez 2–6, 6–3, 10–8.
Mirra Andreeva’s Toronto campaign also ended completely after Andreeva / Sorana Cîrstea lost 6–2, 6–2 to Katerina Siniakova / Zhang Shuai.
Earlier in the tournament, Alexandra Eala and Venus Williams’ partnership ended against Miyu Kato / Liudmila Samsonova 6–4, 6–3.
Although brief, the partnership gave the 21-year-old Eala the unusual experience of sharing a competitive court—and plenty of between-point conversations—with one of the most accomplished players in women’s tennis history.
What Friday Changed in Toronto
The field is beginning to narrow, and several distinct storylines are emerging.
Eala continues to demonstrate that her recent form can carry from one tournament into another.
Fernandez has removed one of the leading young contenders from the draw.
Osaka is beginning to look increasingly comfortable on North American hard courts.
Rybakina remains dangerous.
And Korneeva has transformed herself from an interesting qualifier into one of Toronto’s genuine breakthrough stories.
Perhaps the most fascinating contrast is between the two young Russians.
Mirra Andreeva arrived in Toronto already established among the WTA elite.
Alina Korneeva arrived through qualifying.
One is now out.
The other is preparing to face Coco Gauff for a place in the quarterfinals.
That’s tournament tennis.
Things change quickly.
More from the WTA Toronto 2026 Roundup
Follow our daily coverage of the National Bank Open in Toronto, including singles and doubles results, notable performances and available official match highlights.
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— Jun Pasion
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