Just a few weeks ago, Iga Swiatek stunned everyone by lifting the Venus Rosewater dish after defeating America’s Amanda Anisimova by 6-0,6-0 in the final. Following that 57-minute wrap-up, the Pole said, “It’s something that is just surreal. I feel like tennis keeps surprising me, and I keep surprising myself.” Owing to her impressive performance on grass, where, other than clinching the title at SW19, Swiatek also made it to the final at the Bad Homburg Open, fans were pretty much optimistic about her keeping this winning streak intact at the North American hard court swing as well. Alas.

The world number 19, Clara Tauson, had other ideas. The 22-year-old Dane, who had previously won one title (ASB Classic), was all set for a blockbuster clash against the Pole in the R16 of the 2025 Canadian Open. This was their fourth meeting, and guess what? Previously, Tauson hadn’t won a match against the former world number one. But this time, she stepped onto the court with real determination! Although Iga Swiatek showcased a dominating performance in her previous two matches by securing victories in straight sets, in this match, she failed to demonstrate the same standard. Despite putting up a tough fight in the first set, she failed to outclass Tauson, who defeated her with a scoreline of 7-6(1),6-3.

In her on-court interview after the win, which earned her a spot in her second WTA 1000 QF, Tauson said, “Unreal, totally unreal (laughs)!” Further expanding on her strategy for this match, she added, “I don’t know, I was playing good tennis. It’s tough conditions here with the win, but yeah, I really tried my best to keep my head cool and keep working. Even though I was broken in the second set, I was feeling confident, and I’m really happy about the win.” Tauson won eight of the last eleven points in this match.

Previously, Tauson had gone down to Swiatek in the R16 of the 2025 Wimbledon. Avenging that loss ostensibly should feel “nice.”

With this win against Iga Swiatek, Clara Tauson has now secured her fifth triumph against a top-10 player and her third of the season. She has now defeated both Aryna Sabalenka (1) and Swiatek this season.

A missed chance for Iga Swiatek?

The 2025 Canadian Open has been a tournament of upsets. Previously, Coco Gauff went down to the Canadian wildcard Victoria Mboko in the R16 by 1-6,4-6 and now Iga Swiatek met a similar fate. Gauff’s exit from this tournament had opened the doors for the Pole to become the new world number 2, but the failure to extend her nine-match winning streak has now hindered her rise in the ranks.

Coco Gauff had 7,669 points before the start of the Canadian Open, and after reaching the fourth round, she had increased that to 7,789 in the Live Rankings. On the other side, heading into this event, Iga Swiatek had 6,813 points (856 points behind the American). But after making it to the fourth round, Swiatek had increased that to 6,933.

If Iga Swiatek had managed to reach the QF, she would have reached 7,028 points, and winning the title in Montreal would have ensured that she would accumulate 7,813 points. Just 24 points short of tallying with Coco Gauff. But unfortunately for the Pole, this became yet another missed chance! With the 2025 US Open knocking at the door, Swiatek surely looked to get some wins under her belt from her campaign in Montreal. Her previous best record at the US Open was winning the title in 2022, but in the past few years, success in this tourney has been elusive for the Pole.

In 2024, she exited the US Open after losing to Jessica Pegula in the QF by 6-2,6-4. Can Iga Swiatek come up with a better performance in this edition and secure her second major title of this season?