Iga Swiatek, the reigning Wimbledon champion, faced a surprising defeat at the hands of Denmark’s Clara Tauson in the Montreal tournament. Tauson avenged her earlier loss to Swiatek, winning their match with a score of 7-6 (7-1), 6-3. This result marks a significant moment in the competition, as it follows another upset where top seed Coco Gauff was eliminated by Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko.
Clara Tauson expressed her satisfaction with the victory, stating, “It’s tough conditions here with the wind but I tried my best to keep my head cool and keep working. Even though I got broken in the second set, I was feeling confident and I’m really happy about the win.”
Swiatek struggled during the match, particularly in the first-set tiebreak, where she only managed to secure a single point due to a double fault from Tauson. Following an early break in the second set, Swiatek briefly rallied to level the score at 4-3 before losing her serve again, allowing Tauson to progress to the quarter-finals where she will face Madison Keys.
Osaka’s Resurgence and Quarter-Final Matchups
Naomi Osaka also made headlines in Montreal, showcasing her return to form by defeating Anastasija Sevastova decisively, 6-1, 6-0. This victory is particularly noteworthy as it marks Osaka’s first appearance in the quarter-finals of a WTA 1000 event in 19 months, the last being in Doha in February 2022.
“I had a solid plan coming in here, and it happened to work out very well,” Osaka remarked. She is currently working with Tomasz Wiktorowski, the former coach of Swiatek, after parting ways with renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou. Osaka’s next challenge will be against Elina Svitolina, who won her match against Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova with a score of 6-4, 6-1.
In Toronto, the ATP tournament saw fourth-seeded Ben Shelton overcome 13th-seeded Flavio Cobolli in a tightly contested match, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-1). Reflecting on his performance, Shelton said, “Really difficult match. I was down and out, being a break down in the third, the way that he was playing. I gave myself a second chance and I did a good job with it.”
Shelton will face ninth-seeded Alex de Minaur, who triumphed over Frances Tiafoe with a score of 6-2, 4-6, 6-4. Meanwhile, Andrey Rublev advanced to the quarter-finals for the first time after Alejandro Davidovich Fokina was forced to retire due to injury while trailing.
Second-seeded Taylor Fritz also secured his place in the final eight after a dramatic match against 19th-seeded Jiri Lehecka, winning 7-6 (7-4), 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-5). With this victory, Fritz has reached the quarter-finals in every Masters 1000 event this season.
As the tournaments in Montreal and Toronto progress, tennis fans can expect thrilling matches and potential upsets as players vie for crucial ranking points and titles.
