By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, August 3, 2025
Photo credit: Minas Panagiotakis/Getty
A crackling Clara Tauson drive sent Iga Swiatek sprawling into a split behind the baseline.
Dictating with her serve, Tauson displaced the powerful Pole with deep drives stunning Swiatek 7-6(1), 6-3 to score one of her biggest career wins in Montreal.
It’s been a tournament of upsets and we’ve seen two of the biggest in the last two days.
Canadian wild card Victoria Mboko shocked top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 last night.
Tonight, Tauson sent the second-seeded Swiatek packing to set up an appealing quarterfinal clash vs. Australian Open champion Madison Keys.
Earlier, the sixth-seeded Keys saved a pair of match points conquering Karolina Muchova, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, to book a quarterfinal spot at the Omnium Banque Nationale quarterfinals.
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A calm Tauson denied seven of nine break points snapping Swiatek’s nine-match winning streak with a superb display of power-based baseline tennis. Apart from a sloppy tiebreaker, Swiatek did not play poorly, Tauson just took it to her when it mattered most.
The 16th-seeded Tauson handed the Wimbledon winner her first defeat since she fell to Jessica Pegula in the Bad Homburg grass-court final in June.
One of the WTA Tour’s most commanding servers, Tauson showed tonight she’s much more than a big server. Tauson dotted all areas of the service box to set up her fierce forehand, hit her two-handed backhand with bold intent and while she’s not nearly as quick around the court as the speedy Swiatek, the 22-year-old Dane anticipated the direction of the Pole’s shots and often beat her to the punch. Perhaps that’s because Tauson faced Swiatek at Wimbledon, falling in straight sets at the round of 16 last month.
Tonight, Tauson broke in the third game then backed up the break with a love hold for 3-1.
Though Swiatek earned double break point in the sixth game, Tauson dug in with defiance and fought off four break points during a punishing 14-point game. Tauson held firm for 4-2.
Two games later, the six-time Grand Slam champion earned triple break point. Swiatek was on the verge of breaking again only to see Tauson tame the threat with a five-point surge to hold for 5-3.
Cruising through her own service games, Swiatek threw down a strong hold at 15 for 4-5 then tightened the screws on Tauson’s serve in the 10th game.
When the Dane served for the set, Swiatek finally broke through at 15 to level 5-all.
The tiebreaker was even after two points when Tauson lifted her level racing through six points in a row seizing a one-set lead.
A tough Tauson saved seven of eight break points in that opening set and repeatedly hurt her opponent with the wide serve.
Swiatek would have been wise to drop back a bit deeper behind the baseline to give herself more time on the return—and at least give Tauson a different sightline on serve.
Catching her toss a few times, Tauson was decisive on serving direction as she won eight of the first 10 points on her serve in the second set. Belting deep drives, Tauson broke at 15 for a 3-1 second-set lead.
Tauson slashed successive aces sealing a 7-6, 4-1 lead after one hour, 33 minutes of play.
The six-time Grand Slam champion made a push holding in the sixth game then scoring her second break to cut the gap to 3-4.
Unfazed, Tauson continued torching first strikes and exploited the Pole’s fifth double fault to break back for 5-3.
Serving for one of her biggest career wins, Tauson did not flinch and when Swiatek netted a final backhand, Tauson broke into the wide smile to cap a well-deserved win.
