Sabalenka has withdrawn from the Montreal event, marking her ranking points surpassing the 12,000 threshold for the first time.

World No. 1 Sabalenka's North American hard court debut will be postponed until Cincinnati, as the Canadian Open announced on Wednesday local time that the three-time Grand Slam champion has withdrawn from this year's Montreal event due to fatigue.

Sabalenka

"I was really looking forward to starting the North American hard court season, but after careful consideration, I decided to withdraw from this tournament in order to compete at my best in the second half of the season," Sabalenka stated. The 27-year-old tennis star suffered a three-set defeat to Anisimova in the Wimbledon semifinals and has won titles this season in Brisbane, Miami, and Madrid.

"Despite missing several championship opportunities this year and facing setbacks at the Grand Slam level, I take pride in maintaining my top competitive form," Sabalenka admitted after her exit at Wimbledon. "These experiences only make me more eager for victory. Every loss makes me stronger, and I am looking forward to the next season." This season, Sabalenka has faced American players three times in Grand Slam losses: losing to Keys in the Australian Open final, falling to Gauff in the French Open final, and being defeated by Anisimova in the Wimbledon semifinals.

However, Sabalenka achieved a career milestone this week, as her points from the Wimbledon semifinals pushed her world ranking points past the 12,000 mark for the first time, becoming the first female player to achieve this since Serena Williams in 2015. Currently, Sabalenka leads the rankings with 12,420 points, 4,751 points ahead of second-placed Gauff, marking the largest points gap between the world No. 1 and No. 2 since February 20, 2023, when Swiatek led Sabalenka by 4,800 points.

(Written and edited by Wang Fei, images by Visual China)