Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, August 11, 2026
Photo credit: Shaun Brooks/CameraSport
Coco Gauff took a walkover into the Toronto semifinals tonight.
A hip injury forced Belinda Bencic, Gauff’s scheduled quarterfinal opponent, to withdraw from the National Bank Open.
The 2015 tournament champion Bencic beat Washington, DC champion Alexandrea Eala 6-4, 6-0 to return to the quarterfinals.
Former Olympic gold-medal champion Bencic played that match with taping wrapping her leg.
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“I am really sorry to not be able to compete tonight,” Bencic said in a statement. “This is amazing tournament, and I was really looking forward to playing in front of the great fans here in Toronto.
“I tried everything possible to be ready for tonight. Looking forward to being back in Toronto next time.”
The fourth-seeded Gauff advanced to her maiden Toronto semifinal.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Gauff will face either four-time major champion Naomi Osaka or reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina for a spot in the final.
Richard Pagliaro. Richard Pagliaro is Tennis Now Managing Editor. He is a graduate of New York University and has covered pro tennis for more than 35 years. Richard was tennis columnist for Gannett Newspapers in NY, served as Managing Editor for TennisWeek.com and worked as a writer/editor for Tennis.com. He has been TennisNow.com managing editor since 2010.