Iga Swiatek sinks, Naomi Osaka shines at Canadian Open
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Iga Swiatek (right) congratulating Clara Tauson for her victory in the Canadian Open round of 16 on Aug 3.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
MONTREAL – Iga Swiatek was the latest top player to suffer an upset loss in Montreal as the Wimbledon champion and tournament second seed fell 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 to Dane Clara Tauson in the Canadian Open round of 16 on Aug 3.
Tauson, 22, used her creativity and firepower to frustrate the six-time Grand Slam champion, staying calm when she was broken in the second set and sealing the win when the Pole’s backhand landed in the net.
Said Tauson: “I’m getting more confidence in this kind of level and feeling like I belong here a bit more. I think that really helped me today in the important points.”
Swiatek’s loss came a day after top seed Coco Gauff was stunned in straight sets by Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko, and both Swiatek and Gauff will look to sharpen their games ahead of the US Open, which starts on Aug 24.
World No. 1 and US Open defending champion Aryna Sabalenka is not competing in Montreal.
Tauson, seeded 16th, will face Madison Keys in the quarter-finals after the big-serving American saved two match points to emerge with a hard-fought 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Czech Karolina Muchova.
Tauson beat Keys in their only previous meeting in Auckland in January. Keys went on to capture her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open later that month.
Former world No. 1 Naomi Osaka showed flashes of her past dominance to reach the quarter-finals, needing just 49 minutes to steamroller Anastasija Sevastova 6-1, 6-0.
It marks the first time the Japanese has reached the last eight of a WTA 1000 event since the Qatar Open in February 2024.
Osaka, who has struggled for consistency since returning from maternity leave in 2024, said the coaching shake-up she instigated last week – parting with Patrick Mouratoglou after less than a year and teaming up on a trial basis with Swiatek’s former coach Tomasz Wiktorowski
“I enjoy his coaching style. He’s very direct and to the point. For someone like me, my thoughts scatter around often, it’s very helpful,” said Osaka, who lost in the first round of the French Open and the third round at Wimbledon and is currently ranked world No. 49.
The four-time Grand Slam champion will face Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, who saw off American Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 6-1, for a place in the semis.
Naomi Osaka said the coaching shake-up she instigated last week had energised her.
PHOTO: REUTERS
On the men’s side of the tournament, which is being played in Toronto, Alex de Minaur used his speedy defence to edge out American Frances Tiafoe 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
The ninth-seeded Australian, who is coming off a victory at the ATP 500 Washington Open and who is in search of his first Masters 1000 title, will next face American fourth seed Ben Shelton, who beat Italy’s Flavio Cobolli 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, (7-1).
“It was never going to be easy and Frances has the ability to turn the switch on whenever he wants, so it is always very tricky to put him away,” de Minaur said.
“I think I battled him, myself and the conditions and I am happy to sneak away with a win today.”
Russian sixth seed Andrey Rublev advanced to the quarter-finals of the tournament for the first time after Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was forced to retire from the match with an injury while trailing 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 (2-7), 0-3.
Second-seeded American Taylor Fritz beat 19th seed Czech Jiri Lehecka 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-5) to set up a date with Rublev.
REUTERS, AFP
