Katherine Sebov became the first Canadian to advance to the second round at the 2026 National Bank Open, beating Aoi Ito in straight sets 6-3, 6-4.
The difference in the match proved to be Sebov’s resilience on break point, as she converted four of her eight chances, while Ito converted just two of eight in the loss.
Sebov was the first Canadian on Centre Court and gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about in the opening set. The world No. 231 broke Ito twice in the first and saved five of six break points against her to take the set 6-4.
Photo : Mark Blinch/Wick Photography for National Bank Open
The 27-year-old Sebov had not played at the NBO since 2022, when she was eliminated in the first round by Yulia Putintseva, but the Toronto-native made the most of her return to her home tournament, earning her first WTA 1000 win since Miami in 2023.
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The second set was the polar opposite of the first. While the opening set featured three breaks and 10 break points, the second set did not see a break point until midway through as both women held strong on their serve. From that point on, the floodgates would open, and the two would trade breaks back and forth. Sebov came out on top of the exchange with a pair of breaks to go up 5-4 and a chance to serve out the match. She would not squander the opportunity and advanced after Ito sailed a return long on match point.
Ito, 22, reached a career-high rank of No. 82 last season, a season in which she won her first and only WTA title at the 125 event in Canberra and qualified for five WTA 1000 tournaments, including the NBO, where she lost in the third round to Bouzas Maneiro.
Arseneault falls to Bouzas Maneiro in straight sets
Ariana Arseneault was unable to earn the first WTA main draw win of her career, falling 6-2, 6-4 to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first round of the National Bank Open on Sunday.
The 24-year-old Arseneault kicked off the Canadian action in the main draw after a rain delay pushed the start of the action on the Grandstand by over four hours.
Arseneault started the first set with a gutsy hold where she fought off a break point to hold serve. Unfortunately for the Canadian, the 59th-ranked Bouzas Maniero would not squander another opportunity as she would convert on her next two break points later in the set. An easy hold on her next service game would give the 23-year-old the first set, 6-2.
Photo : Morgan Givens/Wick Photography for National Bank Open
It was an up-and-down second set for Arseneault, as she broke her opponent for the first time but also conceded twice on her own serve to squander the opportunity. Needing a break to stay alive down 5-4, Arseneault was unable to convert on a pair of break points and could not fight off match point, allowing the Spaniard to take the match in straight sets.
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Arseneault was ranked just outside the top 400 at No. 407 entering the tournament. She lost in the first round of the NBO to Naomi Osaka last year, her only other WTA main draw appearance.
Arseneault is now 0-3 against Top100 opponents after losses to Bouzas Maneiro, Osaka, and Katie Volynets at a Challenger event earlier this season.
Bouzas Maneiro reached the round of 32 at Wimbledon, where she lost to Jessica Pegula in straight sets. She reached the quarters in Montreal last year before falling to eventual champion Vicky Mboko.
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Feature Photo: Mark Blinch/Wick Photography for National Bank Open
