In a stunning upset at the 2025 National Bank Open in Montreal, Iga Swiatek, the world No. 3 and recent Wimbledon champion, saw her nine-match winning streak come to an abrupt halt in the fourth round, falling 7-6(1), 6-3 to Denmark’s Clara Tauson. The defeat, which marked the end of Swiatek’s dominant run that included her sixth Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, left the 24-year-old Pole introspective yet resolute. In a candid post-match confession, Swiatek opened up about her performance, the challenges of transitioning to hard courts, and her determination to regroup for the upcoming Cincinnati Open and US Open. The loss, part of a string of high-profile exits at the WTA 1000 event, underscores the unpredictable nature of this year’s tournament and sets the stage for a fiercely competitive North American hard-court swing.
Swiatek, who entered Montreal as the No. 2 seed, had been in scintillating form since her Wimbledon triumph, where she obliterated Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 to claim her first grass-court Major. Her Canadian Open campaign began with a commanding 6-3, 6-1 victory over qualifier Hanyu Guo, followed by a 6-0, 6-4 rout of Eva Lys, extending her streak of consecutive games won to 24 at one point. “I prepared for this match like I would for any other,” Swiatek said after her Guo win, emphasizing her focus on adapting to the hard courts after her grass-court success. “I saw that my opponent played great in the first round, so I had some information. However, I preferred to focus on myself, on getting adjusted to the hard court again.” Her confidence was palpable, as she noted making “a bit of progress” each day, a promising sign for her title aspirations.
However, Tauson, ranked No. 19, proved a formidable obstacle. The 22-year-old Dane, avenging a straight-set loss to Swiatek at Wimbledon, played with poise and aggression in windy conditions, converting an early break to lead 2-1 in the first set. Despite Swiatek’s resilience, Tauson dominated the tiebreak and sealed the second set with a crucial break, capitalizing on Swiatek’s backhand errors. “I think I’m getting more confidence in this kind of level and feeling like I belong here a bit more,” Tauson said post-match. “I felt like I had a bit better luck in my returning games, and obviously she started with a double fault in the next game, which gave me a little bit more confidence.” The victory marked Tauson’s fifth career top-10 win and her second against a top-five player in 2025, following her upset of Aryna Sabalenka in Dubai.
Swiatek’s post-match reflection was refreshingly honest. “I don’t think I was playing my best tennis today, and Clara was really solid,” she admitted, acknowledging Tauson’s ability to stay “cool under pressure.” Swiatek pinpointed her struggles with consistency, particularly on returns, and noted the difficulty of transitioning from grass to hard courts. “I felt like I had a little bit of the upper hand in the end of the set, but I couldn’t convert,” she said, referencing missed break-point opportunities that defined the first set. The loss, her first since Wimbledon, ended her chance to reclaim the world No. 2 ranking from Coco Gauff, who also fell in the fourth round to Canadian wildcard Victoria Mboko. A Canadian Open title would have lifted Swiatek to 7,813 points, edging out Gauff’s 7,789, but the defeat leaves her at 7,028, still 761 points behind.
The Montreal tournament has been a graveyard for top seeds, with Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Mirra Andreeva also exiting early. Swiatek, whose best Canadian Open result was a 2023 semifinal, remains without a title at the event, one of two WTA 1000 tournaments (alongside Cincinnati) where she has yet to reach a final. Her 2025 season, while highlighted by Wimbledon, has been a tale of recovery after a challenging 2024, marked by a one-month ban for a contaminated sample and a ranking dip to No. 8. “I’m just happy that I have this place to come back to every year and just try to push myself,” Swiatek said, echoing her resilience after her French Open semifinal loss to Sabalenka in June. Her 63-match streak in WTA Tour opening rounds, the longest since Monica Seles, underscores her consistency, but Tauson’s upset highlights vulnerabilities against aggressive opponents.
As Swiatek looks ahead to Cincinnati, where she has reached two semifinals, and the US Open, where she won in 2022, she remains focused on growth. “I think I was serving great and I just leaned on that,” she said of her Wimbledon success, a mindset she hopes to carry forward. Tauson, meanwhile, advances to face Madison Keys in the quarterfinals, buoyed by her newfound belief. “Obviously it’s really great and it shows all the hard work I’ve been doing has been the right thing,” she said. For Swiatek, the loss is a setback but not a defeat of spirit, as she prepares to refine her game and chase a second US Open title in a field brimming with contenders.
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