Top-ranked Ash Barty crashes out in Toronto

MONTREAL: World number one Ashleigh Barty crashed out of the WTA tournament in Toronto on Tuesday, falling in three sets in her second-round opener to 29th-ranked American Sofia Kenin.

Australia's Barty, the French Open champion who was competing for the first time since a fourth-round exit at Wimbledon, battled back from an early break to take the opening set, but she was unable to do the same in the next two sets as 20-year-old Kenin triumphed 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4.

"It just wasn't there today," Barty admitted. "I think a little bit of rust, but I think just in general it was just a bit loose.

"At times I was missing by big margins, which is not something that I'm very used to or comfortable with."

The defeat puts Barty's number one ranking in jeopardy, with both Japan's Naomi Osaka and Czech Karolina Pliskova eyeing the top spot.

Second-seeded Osaka will open her campaign on Wednesday against Germany's Tatjana Maria, a 6-3, 6-4 winner over China's Zheng Saisai.

If Osaka wins, there will be a new number one next week.

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The Japanese player is the front-runner to return to the summit, but Pliskova could have a chance if she makes the semi-finals.

"I couldn't tell from you a bar of soap what's going on with the rankings," Barty said. "It's not something that I worry about or focus on. Regardless of whether it's number 10, it's number 50, 200 or it's number one, it's just a number next to your name. It doesn't define you as a person or a player."

Pliskova next faces US qualifier Alison Riske, who saved three match points on the way to a 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (9/7) victory over Greece's Maria Sakkari.

Croatia's Donna Vekic also saved three match points on the way to a 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/5) win over American Madison Keys.

But Barty was the story of the day, even though the Aussie insisted that with the US Open fast approaching "it's not panic stations."

Kenin, who has climbed the rankings this season with wins in Charleston and Mallorca and a runner-up finish in Acapulco, notched her first victory over a top-five player in her fourth attempt.

She needed four match points to seal the victory, with Barty saving three on her own serve in the ninth game of the final set.

Kenin, who had seen Barty pull back one of two service breaks in the set, then calmly served it out, giving herself a fourth match point with a forehand winner.

Trailing 3-5 after an early break in the first set, Barty won three straight games before Kenin held to force the tiebreaker.

Barty opened a 5-1 lead in the decider and pocketed the set on her third set point.

Kenin raced to a 4-0 lead in the second set only for Barty to regain two service breaks. Kenin then broke again to lead 5-3 and held at love to force the third.

Kenin again seized the initiative, taking a 4-1 lead with two breaks of serve -- Barty able to claw only one of them back.

Azarenka advances

In the third round, Kenin will face either Victoria Azarenka or Dayana Yastremska.

Former world number one Azarenka, of Belarus, reached the second round with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Camila Giorgi.

In other first-round action, Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro ousted Venus Williams 6-4, 6-2.

Suarez earned her first win in four years over the US veteran, ending a streak of five straight defeats.