Defending Rogers Cup champ Halep edges qualifier Brady

TORONTO (AP) — Wimbledon champion Simona Halep of Romania beat American qualifier Jennifer Brady 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (5) on Wednesday in the second round of the Rogers Cup on Wednesday.

The winner last year in Montreal, Halep lost a 4-0 lead in the third set when Brady won five straight games. The No. 4 Halep broke the 76th-ranked Brady for a third time in the set to go up 6-5, but the former world No. 1 was broken right back to set up the tiebreak.

The 26-year-old Halep will face either Svetlana Kuznetsova or Donna Vekic in the third round.

Third-ranked Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic also advanced, beating American qualifier Alison Riske 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-2

No. 16 seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia reached the third round when Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain retired with a hip injury while trailing 7-5, 3-1. Kontaveit will face Pliskova on Thursday.

Victoria Azarenka of Belarus was eliminated, losing 7-5, 7-5 to Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine.

Serena Williams played later Wednesday.