By Canadian Press

Top-ranked Sabalenka ends Canadian Rebecca Marino’s run at National Bank Open

Aug 12, 2021 | 9:50 AM

Canadian Rebecca Marino’s stunning run at the National Bank Open in Montreal came to an end Thursday with a 6-1, 6-3 loss to No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.

The wild card entry from Vancouver fell behind early, with Sabalenka, the world No. 3, saving four break points to cruise to a 5-0 lead in the first set.

Marino came out strong in the second set with a pair of aces and held her serve through the first six games of the set, but struggled with break points, going 0-for-5 across the 59-minute match. 

The Canadian, ranked 220th in the world, made it to the round of 16 by upsetting No. 16 seed Madison Keys and Spain’s Paula Badosa, No. 31 in the world rankings.

Marino is still in the doubles portion of the tournament with partner Montreal’s Leylah Annie Fernandez and is scheduled to face Sabalenka and Elise Mertens of Germany on Thursday afternoon. 

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Fellow Canadian Bianca Andreescu, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, is set to face Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in singles action later on Thursday. 

Andreescu is looking to defend her 2019 title at the tournament formerly known as the Rogers Cup. The event was not held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2021.

The Canadian Press