World No.1 Iga Swiatek eliminated in the 8th round in Toronto

World No.1 Iga Swiatek, winner of the last Roland-Garros, was eliminated in the round of 16 of the WTA 1000 in Toronto, beaten 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 by Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia (24th) , Thursday. Swiatek, irresistible in the spring, where she won in Indian Wells and Miami, concedes her first defeat in 14 matches on American hard surfaces, two weeks before the US Open, of which she is the favorite. She fell on an opponent full of nerve and very aggressive, who also took advantage of her many unforced errors, sometimes gross, on a windswept court.

Swiatek, notably betrayed by a faulty service (9 double faults, only 45% of points won on his second ball), thus conceded no less than 19 break points to Haddad Maia, who admittedly only converted 4. Because the Pole, even on a bad day, the cramps not sparing her legs, did indeed fight to repel the opposing attacks, managing to return to a set everywhere by then showing the best in her game.

Belinda Bencic in the next round

But the 26-year-old Brazilian, looking for a fourth title this season after those won in Saint-Malo, Nottingham and Birmingham, has not loosened the vice. It was she who took the initiative in the exchanges, despite the loss of her service at the start of the 3rd set. She finally won in three hours, on her fourth match point. Haddad Maia will face in the next round the Spaniard Garbiñe Muguruza (8th) or the Swiss Belinda Bencic (12th), who fell the future retiree Serena Williams the day before.