Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images The 2018 Rogers Cup is nearing a conclusion with the men's and women's quarterfinals taking place Friday. Rafael Nadal and Simona Halep—the No. 1 seeds in their respective brackets—are looking to keep their momentum going. There is guaranteed to be at least one unranked player in the semifinals on the men's side with Robin Haase and Karen Khachanov matched up against each other. Here's a look at what happened heading into the final weekend of action in Canada. Men's Singles No. 1 Rafael Nadal def. No. 6 Marin Cilic: 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 Stefanos Tsitsipas def. No. 2 Alexander Zverev: 3-6, 7-6(11), 6-4 No. 4 Kevin Anderson def. No. 5 Grigor Dimitrov: 6-2, 6-2 Karen Khachanov def. Robin Haase: 6-3, 6-1 Video Play Button Videos you might like Women's Singles No. 1 Simona Halep def. No. 6 Caroline Garcia: 7-5, 6-1 No. 3 Sloane Stephens def. Anastasija Sevastova: 6-2, 6-2 No. 5 Elina Svitolina def. No. 14 Elise Mertens: 7-5, 6-3 No. 15 Ashleigh Barty def. Kiki Bertens: 6-3, 6-1 Notable Results No. 1 Rafael Nadal def. No. 6 Marin Cilic: 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 After dropping his first set of the tournament, Nadal rallied to knock off No. 6 Marin Cilic to reach the semifinals. Nadal has owned the rivalry between these two stars, but Cilic did earn his biggest win over the Spanish sensation in the Australian Open quarterfinals. That does come with an asterisk because Nadal suffered a leg injury that forced him to retire in the fifth set. Following his win on Friday, Nadal acknowledged how dominant Cilic was in the opening set. "The way that he played in that first set was unstoppable," Nadal told reporters. "So I resisted him. I play with the right tactics. I tried to find my solutions, but it was so difficult. The dynamic was very bad for me and unbelievable good for him. So I know that the beginning of the second set would be decisive." This wasn't the sharpest effort by Nadal. He had as many aces as double-faults (four). Cilic got him for 17 winners during that opening set. Regardless of how things started, though, Nadal found his footing and remains on track to win his fifth singles title of the season. His tournament will continue on Saturday against Karen Khachanov. No. 4 Kevin Anderson def. No. 5 Grigor Dimitrov: 6-2, 6-2 The only matchup featuring two top-five players turned into a one-sided showcase for Kevin Anderson. The South African star easily disposed of Grigor Dimitrov thanks to a 12-3 advantage in aces. He also had no double-faults in the win. Anderson also took advantage of the match by winning 57 percent of his break-point opportunities and preventing Dimitrov from winning any games defending the serve. This has been a one-sided rivalry in Dimitrov's favor coming into Friday's match. The 27-year-old won six of their first seven meetings, including five straight. They hadn't played since 2016, so Anderson appears to have learned a few things in the interim. Anderson is playing the best tennis of his life following an appearance in the Wimbledon finals with a run to the semifinals in Canada. Two more wins will give him his second win of the ATP season. No. 3 Sloane Stephens def. Anastasija Sevastova: 6-2, 6-2 Sloane Stephens continues to march through the Rogers Cup after earning her third consecutive straight-sets win on Friday, this time over Anastasija Sevastova. Despite needing just 69 minutes to reach the semifinals, Stephens didn't dominate the match. Both players had just one ace, but Sevastova did damage to herself with three double-faults. Stephens' performance against Sevastova comes one day after she fell behind Carla Suarez Navarro 5-1 in the second set before winning the next six games. "Maybe the old me would have kind of freaked out," Stephens told reporters after her comeback against Navarro. "I was kind of like, 'OK, it's fine, she's allowed to play well. Just kind of regroup.' I did that. I was happy with that." That attitude and approach will serve Stephens well when she isn't playing her best on a given day. The 25-year-old has made significant strides over the past year, winning the 2017 U.S. Open and reaching the 2018 French Open final for the first time. Stefanos Tsitsipas def. No. 2 Alexander Zverev: 3-6, 7-6(11), 6-4 Stefanos Tsitsipas pulled off the biggest upset of the day by knocking off No. 2 Alexander Zverev in a three-set thriller. Zverev held a 6-3 advantage and had two different match points in the second set he was unable to convert. The loss snapped his streak of seven straight match wins in ATP play dating back to his win at the Citi Open. While Zverev will be wondering how things went south so quickly on his end, Tsitsipas is rapidly becoming a force on the men's circuit. The 19-year-old has defeated three straight opponents ranked in the top 10, including Novak Djokovic, this week. Per Jose Morgado of the Portugal Record, Tsitsipas' recent string of success is going to have a huge impact on his world ranking: This was also a revenge match of sorts for Tsitsipas, who was one of the opponents Zverev defeated last week en route to that Citi Open crown. Even though Tsitsipas is still chasing his first career ATP singles title, he's already made a name for himself. Two more victories in Toronto will make him the toast of the entire men's circuit with the U.S. Open coming at the end of the month. No. 1 Simona Halep def. No. 6 Caroline Garcia: 7-5, 6-1 Halep overcame a slow start to knock off Caroline Garcia in straight sets as she looks to rebound from a disappointing showing at Wimbledon. Because weather problems at the start of the tournament caused all sorts of scheduling problems, Halep played her third match since Thursday. Her performance showed with no aces for the second straight match. Despite not lighting up the stat sheet, Halep continues finding ways to win. Her biggest advantage came when she was on the defensive, winning 47 percent of her first-serve return points.<doc-sep>Rogers Cup: Men's event gets more than double the money of the women's There was a wide disparity between the prize money in the Rogers Cup women’s event in Montreal and the companion men’s event in Toronto. Article content There was a wide disparity between the prize money in the Rogers Cup women’s event in Montreal and the companion men’s event in Toronto. Simona Halep, the women’s winner, received a cheque for $529,480 (U.S). The men’s winner, Rafael Nadal, collected $1,020,425. The total financial commitment for the men’s event was $5,939,970 and that was more than double the $2,820,000 available for the women. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Rogers Cup: Men's event gets more than double the money of the women's Back to video Eugene Lapierre, the tournament director in Montreal, offered reasons for the difference, although none of them added up to such a wide gap. There is more TV money for the men’s event, although there is presumably enough cash coming in for the women that the Montreal event added 11 a.m. matches for the first three days of the tournament to satisfy the international TV market. He pointed out that the men’s event ATP Masters 1000 is a mandatory event while the women are strongly urged but not required to support the Canadian event. There is a problem with this argument because Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are among the players exempt from the mandatory requirement and Federer took advantage of that exemption to skip Toronto this year. The women’s field was stronger this year. The cutoff for the men’s event was at No. 52 while the women’s cutoff was No. 47.<doc-sep>Share this Story: Rogers Cup: Simona Halep lashes out at tourney organizers over schedule Rogers Cup: Simona Halep lashes out at tourney organizers over schedule Top-seeded Romanian played two matches Thursday, an evening match Friday and will play Australia's Ashleigh Barty at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Photo by Paul Chiasson / THE CANADIAN PRESS Article content MONTREAL — Simona Halep says she has had enough. The Romanian, who is the No. 1 player in the world, unloaded on the WTA Tour and tournament officials after she defeated sixth-seeded Caroline Garcia of France 7-5, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup Canadian Open women’s tennis championship Friday night. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Rogers Cup: Simona Halep lashes out at tourney organizers over schedule Back to video Halep was upset when she saw that her semifinal against 15th-seeded Ashleigh Barty of Australia is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday. “If you look at the schedule, I think I’m the only one person and player who has the worst schedule during the week,” Halep said. “I think this happens almost every tournament. I saw that tomorrow I play at 1 p.m. So I think WTA is a little bit upset with me because they always try to put me down, I can say, in the schedule. And I’m very upset about this. “Tomorrow I’m going to go on court and I will try to give my best,” said Halep, who won here two years ago. “I have nothing to lose. It’s a semifinal. So I just go there and I try to play.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content But Halep noted that Barty had an advantage in terms of rest because she played the first match of the afternoon and needed only 54 minutes to beat Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-1. “My opponent has already six hours at the hotel resting, and I just finished the match and I’m doing now these (interviews),” Halep said at 9 p.m. “I’ll be very late again. Yesterday I played two matches. I feel like today I should have played second match in the night, and also tomorrow at 6, not at 1. This is my opinion, and I think I’m right.” Halep said she hasn’t talked to other players about the schedule, but it is a topic of conversation for her team and “all of them are upset. I never complained about the schedule. As you know me since many years already, I never complain about anything. But today was enough.” Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content One of the reasons for Halep being scheduled for the early match may have to do with Barty’s schedule. Barty is also in the doubles semifinal with Demi Schuurs of the Netherlands. They play seventh-seeded American Nicole Melichar and Kveta Peschke of the Czech Republic. That’s the second match in the afternoon but it could just as easily could have been played in the evening. The 6 o’clock match pits third-seeded Sloane Stephens of the United States against defending champion and fifth seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine. Svitolina spotted 14th-seeded Elise Mertens of Belgium a 4-0 lead in the first set, but roared back to win 7-5, 6-3. Stephens was an easy 6-2, 6-2 winner over Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia in a 69-minute match. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Halep said her fortunes on the court changed after she broke Garcia’s serve to pull even at 5-5 in the first set. “The first game I broke her but I couldn’t hold my serve, then I went a little bit down,” Halep said. “I was a little bit negative at the beginning of the match. But then when I broke her again at 5-5 to make it 6-5 for me, I said: ‘Now is the time to stay for every point and put pressure on her.’ I think I did pretty well. After I won that set, it was much easier mentally for me.” At 22, Barty has had a wealth of experiences. She won the Wimbledon junior title at 15 and reached the women’s doubles final at Wimbledon and the Australian and U.S. Opens in 2013. A year later, she walked away from the game and she spent 2015 playing cricket for the Brisbane Heat in the Women’s Big Bash League. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Barty faced a difficult transition when she returned to tennis in 2016. “It was really challenging,” Barty said. ”The first year, I struggled with injuries, getting my body right, actually being able to go out and play matches. But I feel great today. I feel probably as best as I ever have on and off the court. No doubt they’re helping each other.” Barty has established herself as a top-20 player with consistent results. She won on the grass at Nottingham and the Rogers represents her fourth semifinal result this year. She led the WTA Tour in grass-court wins with 12 and is happy with her transition to hard courts. “The grass season is very short. I certainly love it, but it is very short,” Barty said. “It’s always exciting coming over here to the American summer. It’s obviously winter at home, so it’s a little bit chilly. I love the courts. I love the conditions. I feel like this is potentially always a good time of year for me.” Stephens can concentrate on her singles because she and Montrealer Eugenie Bouchard lost to the second-seeded team of Taiwan’s Latisha Chan and Ekaterina Makarova of Russia 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the doubles. phickey@postmedia.com twitter.com/zababes1 Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<doc-sep>It wasn’t easy, but Simona Halep defeated Sloane Stephens 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-2 in the women’s singles final of the Rogers Cup. Halep got off to a good start in the first set. She broke two of Stephens’ serves to take a 4-1 lead. But Stephens returned the favor, breaking Halep’s next two serves and holding her own to tie the set, 4-4. After each broke the next two serves, Stephens won her serve to put her up, 6-5. Halep battled back in the next game, holding two set points from Stephens, to set up a tiebreak. Stephens got off to a quick start in the tiebreak, leading 5-1 before the change of ends. But by the second change of ends, Halep rallied back to even the tiebreak, 6-6, and held another two set points from Stephens. Halep won the next two points to give her the match’s first set. . @Simona_Halep saves four set points to take the opening set, 7-6(6)! The World No.1 is a set from another @CoupeRogers title! pic.twitter.com/8WaplIYIGv — WTA (@WTA) August 12, 2018 Both players broke serve in the first three games of the second set, which gave Stephens a 2-1 lead. Things changed in the next five games as both players were able to hold serve, giving Stephens a 5-3 lead in the set. SIGN UP to watch ATP and WTA tour events on DAZN But Halep couldn’t hold her serve in the ninth game of the second set. Stephens broke through on her fourth game point to set up the decisive third and final set. Halep and Stephens went back-and-forth again in the third set; as each held and broke serve once to split the set’s first four games. Halep finally got in a rhythm, breaking Stephens’ next two serves and holding her own serve. The Romanian sat comfortably, leading 5-2 in the set. MORE: Genie Bouchard, Sloane Stephens doubles team exit Rogers Cup after quarterfinals loss Halep forced championship point in the ensuing game, but Stephens ultimately broke her serve. Halep forced three championship points in the proceeding game too, but Stephens rallied bake to hold her serve. But Stephens couldn’t force another rally on Halep’s fifth championship point as Halep aced Stephens to give her the match. The ace was Halep’s second of the set and third of the match. With the win, Halep has now won the last two Rogers Cups in Montreal. She also defeated Stephens in the French Open finals in June.<doc-sep>
Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images The respective finals for the 2018 Rogers Cup will be set by the time all is said and done Saturday. In the women's singles draw, top seed Simona Halep and No. 15 Ashleigh Barty faced off in the first of two semifinals. Sloane Stephens and Elina Svitolina will meet in the other semifinal. The No. 1 seed remains alive in the men's singles draw as well, with Rafael Nadal taking on Karen Khachanov. Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Kevin Anderson, eliminating the possibility of a rematch of the 2017 U.S. Open final. Here's a recap of Saturday's action north of the border, with the full schedule available on the Rogers Cup's official website. Results Men's Singles Video Play Button Videos you might like Stefanos Tsitsipas def. No. 4 Kevin Anderson: 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(7) No. 1 Rafael Nadal def. Karen Khachanov: 7-6(3), 6-4 Women's Singles No. 1 Simona Halep def. No. 15 Ashleigh Barty: 6-4, 6-1 No. 3 Sloane Stephens def. No. 5 Elina Svitolina: 6-3, 6-3 Saturday Recap No. 1 Simona Halep def. No. 15 Ashleigh Barty: 6-4, 6-1 Excellent serving was the key ingredient for Halep as she brushed Barty aside in straight sets. The French Open champion won 76 percent of her first-service points and committed just one double fault over the course of the match. Entering the match, Halep was critical of the tournament scheduling, citing her quick turnaround time between her quarterfinal win over Caroline Garcia on Friday evening and Saturday's semifinal. "My opponent has already six hours at the hotel resting and I just finished the match and I'm doing now these things," she said of her press conference with reporters, per the Canadian Press (via Sportsnet). "I'm going to go on court and I will try to give my best. I have nothing to lose. It's a semifinal. So I just go there and I try to play." If Halep was suffering from any lingering fatigue, it wasn't apparent based on the way in which she efficiently dispatched Barty in the second set after a back-and-forth opening frame. This point from the third game of the second set was the moment in which a victory felt imminent for Halep. Down 0-2 on serve, Barty appeared to have the point won with a drop shot that hit off the top of the net. Instead, Halep chased down the ball and put Barty away two shots later with an overhead volley: Now that she's through to the final, Halep can potentially gain a measure of revenge in Sunday's final pending the result of the second semifinal. Svitolina defeated her in straight seats in the semifinals of the 2017 Rogers Cup. Stefanos Tsitsipas def. No. 4 Kevin Anderson: 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(7) Tsitsipas outlasted Anderson in a three-set thriller, his second straight victory over the 6'8" South African. The margins for this match were always going to be slim. According to the ATP World Tour's official site, Tsitsipas ranks 45th in return rating (136.0), and Anderson is all the way down in 71st (127.3). Sure enough, Tsitsipas won 74 percent of his first-service points and 64 percent of his second-service points, compared to 83 percent and 65 percent, respectively for Anderson. They also combined for 17 aces. Twice in the third set Tsitsipas needed to hold serve to avoid losing the match. In those two games, Anderson won three combined points. Both players struggled mightily on serve, though, to begin the third-set tiebreaker. The returning player captured each of the first four points. Much like in the third set, Anderson had an opportunity to put Tsitsipas away. He led 7-6 before turning serve over to his opponent. Tsitsipas held firm on the next two points, and Anderson hit a backhand too long on what was Tsitsipas' third match point: ATPWorldTour.com noted Tsitsipas, 19, is the youngest player to reel off four wins over top-10 opponents at the same tour event. No. 3 Sloane Stephens def. No. 5 Elina Svitolina: 6-3, 6-3 The Rogers Cup final will be a rematch of the French Open final, with Stephens advancing past Svitolina in straight sets. The 25-year-old American has a crack at revenge against Halep, who defeated her in three sets at Roland Garros. Jumping out to big leads was key for Stephens. She was up 4-0 in the first set before Svitolina got her service game going. In the second set, Stephens went ahead 4-1.