Ekaterina Alexandrova overcame a set deficit to defeat Talia Gibson 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 at the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto on Thursday, August 6.
The result secured Alexandrova, ranked 19th in the world, a spot in the round of 16. Gibson had reached the match after eliminating Polish player Maja Chwalińska in the second round with a 7-5, 6-1 victory. Chwalińska, returning from an extended injury layoff, noted after her exit that she was learning and gaining practical experience from the tournament.
Journalist Łukasz Jachimiak of Sport.pl wrote on X that Gibson defeating Chwalińska was neither a surprise nor a sensation due to the Australian player's hard-court experience. Gibson entered Thursday's match as a slight favorite against Alexandrova, having won their only previous head-to-head meeting and enjoying a stronger season overall.
First set battle
The opening set began evenly as both players defended break points in the second and third games. Gibson displayed greater confidence on serve early, recording six aces across the first seven games compared to one by Alexandrova.
Gibson created the decisive opportunity in the 12th game. Converting her third break point, which was also set point, Gibson broke Alexandrova to win the first set 7-5 without entering a tie-break.
Alexandrova responded quickly in the second set after Gibson opened with two double faults in the third game. Alexandrova broke serve immediately and added a second break in the fifth game. Across those two service games, Gibson won only two points, prompting fans on X to ask what was happening to her.
Leading 4-1 with two breaks, Alexandrova saved a break point in the sixth game with a smile to make it 5-1. She then broke Gibson for a third time in the seventh game to take the set 6-1.
Decisive third set
Alexandrova maintained her momentum into the third set, taking a 3-0 lead after breaking Gibson in the second game from a 40-0 opening. Gibson fought back in the fifth game, breaking Alexandrova despite the Russian leading 40-0 on her own serve. That break leveled the set at 3-3 after 25 minutes of play.
Alexandrova broke the tie in the seventh game by holding serve for a 4-3 lead. Minutes later, she broke Gibson's serve again to finalize a 6-3 set victory and complete the match win.
Alexandrova will face either Aryna Sabalenka or Shuai Zhang in the round of 16. In other tournament action noted alongside the match, Hubert Hurkacz gained an unexpected opponent in Montreal following the elimination of a favorite.
