Sabalenka First Since Serena to Win 24 of 25 Hard-Court Matches in a Season

A number Serena last reached in 2015

Aryna Sabalenka moved to 24-1 on hard courts in 2026 on Wednesday after defeating Japan's Moyuka Uchijima 6-3, 6-3 in the second round of the National Bank Open in Toronto. The victory extended the world No. 1's winning streak on the surface to 13 consecutive matches and placed her in historically elite company: she is the first player since Serena Williams in 2015 to win 24 of her first 25 WTA-level hard-court matches of a season.

Sabalenka's sole hard-court defeat in 2026 came at the Australian Open final, where Elena Rybakina edged her in three sets. Since that January afternoon in Melbourne, the Belarusian has been functionally flawless on the surface, winning on every continent where she has played hard-court tennis. She arrived in Toronto after an early Wimbledon exit — looking, by her own admission, to reset and refocus — and her performance against Uchijima showed no sign of grass-court hangover.

Uchijima broke in the opening game to lead 2-0, but Sabalenka regrouped quickly and won six of the next seven games to take the first set. The second set followed a similar pattern — breaks exchanged across the first five games before Sabalenka imposed the kind of controlled, heavy-ball pressure that has made her so difficult to sustain rallies against. A final 6-3 sealed the match in under 75 minutes.

Swiatek, Shnaider and the rest of Day 3

Wednesday in Toronto was a day for the favourites. Iga Swiatek, seeded second, was ruthlessly efficient in dismissing Sara Bejlek 6-0, 6-3, surviving only one genuinely dangerous moment — a marathon second-set service game in which Bejlek earned nine break points — before closing out comfortably. Swiatek has yet to drop a set in Toronto.

Third seed Diana Shnaider, runner-up in Washington last week, recovered from dropping the second set to dispatch Rebecca Šramková 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. Marta Kostyuk was in dominant form, overwhelming Katherine Sebov 7-6(4), 6-0, while Madison Keys made light work of Antonia Ružić 6-1, 6-2.

Anna Kalinskaya survived a second-set blip to beat McCartney Kessler 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-4, and Elina Svitolina ground out a memorable three-setter against Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro — 6-7(5), 7-6(4), 6-4 — after two hours and 20 minutes on court. Zhang Shuai collected a retirement win over Jelena Ostapenko, with the Latvian pulling out at 0-6, 0-4 down.

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Sabalenka's road to the title

With a 24-1 hard-court season already in the books and the US Open series underway, Sabalenka looks the player to beat in Toronto. She will face Zhang Shuai in the third round — a comfortable-looking assignment on paper before what could be a quarterfinal collision with Shnaider or another dangerous seed.

Swiatek and Sabalenka are on opposite halves of the draw in Toronto, meaning that if both continue to advance, a potential final between the world's top two would set up one of the most anticipated matches of the hard-court summer — a rematch that fans from both camps are already eyeing. Sabalenka next steps onto the Toronto hard courts looking to extend her streak to 14.

Corrected on 4 October 2026: result amended.