World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka heads into this week's WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto with her top ranking under threat as she builds toward her U.S. Open title defense.
Sabalenka has won 23 of her 24 hard court matches this year, the lone defeat her loss to Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final.
But she was turfed out in the quarterfinals on the clay of Roland Garros and fell to Naomi Osaka in the Round of 16 on the grass courts of Wimbledon.
If Sabalenka fails to reach the Round of 16 in Toronto, Kazakhstan's Rybakina can rise to No. 1 if she lifts the trophy.
Sabalenka has never made it past the semifinals in Canada, which alternates each year between Montreal and Toronto, but she said she was feeling rested and ready to reassert herself after taking time off in the wake of her All England Club exit.
