Sabalenka had won three matches in a row heading into the Rogers Cup before losing to Croatia’s Mirjana Lucic-Baroni
Dominica Braga was stunned by Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of the Rogers Cup women’s tournament in Toronto.
The 20-year-old Belarusian, ranked 41 in the world, beat Braga 7-6 (8-6) 6-1, extending her winning streak to 16 matches.
“I got vaccinated so it’s nothing really, nothing I’m not ready for today,” said Sabalenka.
Meanwhile, seven-time champion Venus Williams lost 7-6 (7-2) 4-6 7-5 to Belgium’s Elise Mertens.
The 36-year-old lost the first set in just under an hour, then came back to force a deciding tie-break.
Mertens will next face Georgia’s Timea Babos, who defeated Belinda Bencic 6-3 6-2.
Britain’s Katie Boulter, ranked 61 in the world, made her Rogers Cup debut with a victory over Germany’s Annika Beck in straight sets, 6-3 6-2.
Sabalenka, who was once ranked world number 74, came through qualifying to secure her place in the main draw and beat Germany’s Andrea Petkovic 6-1 7-5 to reach the third round.
Fellow qualifier Braga, ranked 103, fell two sets down to Sabalenka but fought back in the third.