China's Zhang Shuai, Shang Juncheng both eliminated at Canada's National Bank Open

Chinese veteran Zhang Shuai's run at the WTA National Bank Open in Toronto came to an end in the third round on Thursday, after she fell to World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-4.

While the top-seeded Belarusian was never in real danger of suffering an upset, Zhang kept her under pressure throughout the contest. Sabalenka even faced a break point in the final game before storming back to hold. She swept the last three points to seal the straight-sets triumph, improving to 5-1 against her 37-year-old opponent with the win.

Sabalenka also moved to 25-1 in hard-court matches this season, with her lone loss on the surface coming in the Australian Open final. The four-time Grand Slam champion is the first woman to earn 25 hard-court victories in a season since Serena Williams in 2016. She will face Ekaterina Alexandrova in the round of 16.

In men's action, Italy's 19th-seeded Luciano Darderi beat China's Shang Juncheng 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the third round of the ATP National Bank Open in Montreal.

In the first career meeting between these two players, Shang broke through early, converting a break point in the fifth game en route to taking the opening set 6-4. Darderi responded by adjusting his tactics in the second set. After the score was tied at 1-1, Shang dropped five consecutive games, conceding the frame 6-1.

Shang continued to struggle in the decider, quickly falling behind 3-0. He managed to fight back, but the mounting pressure boiled over when he misfired on an overhead smash and slammed his racket in frustration. Having already received a warning earlier in the match, the 21-year-old was handed a point penalty with Darderi holding game point, which left him trailing 5-3.

After holding serve in the next game to close the gap to 5-4, Shang requested a medical timeout to treat discomfort in his arm, but that did little to hinder his opponent's momentum.

Darderi sealed the victory with an ace in the 10th game, wrapping up the final set 6-4 to reach the round of 16 at a Masters 1000 event for the second time in his career. The 24-year-old will face Portugal's Nuno Borges next, while Shang's exit in the third round equals his personal best at the Masters 1000 level.