Aryna Sabalenka equals Serena Williams’ decade-long record after strong start in Toronto

Sabalenka beat Japanese player Moyuka Uchijima in her opening clash before overcoming Zhang Shuai of China to advance to the fourth round.

Aryna Sabalenka is now the — best women’s player of all time

Where are you ranking her?

The results come a month after her disappointing campaign at Wimbledon, where she was knocked out in the fourth round by Naomi Osaka.

Aryna Sabalenka achieves impressive feat in Toronto

With her third-round victory at the Canadian Open, Sabalenka has now achieved a season tally of 25 wins on hard court.

The 28-year-old has a win-loss tally of 25-1 on the surface this year, with her sole loss coming in the Australian Open final against Elena Rybakina.

According to Opta Ace, Sabalenka is the fastest player to 25 seasonal wins since Serena Williams in 2016.

What is your favorite memory of Serena Williams?

She’s back trying to make more memories…

Sabalenka kicked off her 2026 season without dropping a set en route to the Brisbane International title.

After a run to the Australian Open final, she then completed the ‘Sunshine Double’ by winning Indian Wells and Miami back-to-back.

The Canadian Open is the first hard-court tournament she has played at since winning the Miami Open.

Aryna Sabalenka discusses peaking before the US Open

Sabalenka will be defending the US Open title at the end of the North American hard-court swing, having won the major for the second year in a row last season.

Asked how many matches she feels she needs to play before then, Sabalenka replied: “I don’t know. It’s always different.

“That’s the beauty of sport, because there is no guarantees. It’s like every time it’s a different, completely different story.

“How many matches do I need? As many as I can, probably. The other question is that I’m getting older, so probably I can play less, just so I’ll come to the US Open more fresh. So, I don’t know, it’s a good question.”

With a third consecutive crown up for grabs at the US Open, Sabalenka is bidding to become the first woman to three-peat in New York since Williams in 2014.