Toronto: Swiatek and Eala advance at National Bank Open
Swiatek’s Dominant Performance
Iga Swiatek, the seventh seed, secured her spot in the fourth round of the Canadian Open with a decisive straight-sets victory over Viktorija Golubic. Playing at Sobeys Stadium, Swiatek conceded only three games during the match, winning 6-2, 6-1 in 66 minutes. This win marks her continued strong form in the tournament, where she was a semifinalist in 2023.
Golubic holds a unique place in Swiatek’s career history as the only player to have defeated the Polish former World No. 1 in the first round of a Grand Slam, which occurred at Wimbledon 2019 when Swiatek was 18 years old. Since that match, Swiatek has maintained an undefeated record against Golubic in their subsequent three encounters, allowing her opponent only five games in their last two matches.
Swiatek expressed satisfaction with her performance, stating, “For sure it was a good day, and I’m really happy with the way I played.” She noted that despite a less-than-smooth start in the first game, she quickly found her rhythm and took control of the match. Swiatek is now set to face either tenth seed Marta Kostyuk or nineteenth seed Madison Keys in the next round as she aims for her second quarterfinal appearance in Canada.
Eala’s Breakthrough in Toronto
In other significant developments at the National Bank Open in Toronto, Alexandra Eala continued her impressive run on the North American hard-court circuit. The twenty-fifth seed advanced to the third round by defeating Alycia Parks in a three-set match, with a score of 6-1, 4-6, 6-2. Eala’s victory took 1 hour and 51 minutes.
Eala’s appearance in Toronto follows her recent success at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington, where she secured her first singles title on the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz. The 20-year-old Filipina transitioned quickly to the Toronto venue, maintaining her winning momentum.
During her match against Parks, Eala showcased her dominance in the opening set, winning five consecutive games from a 1-1 tie to close it out 6-1. She did not face any break points on her serve in the first set, consistently applying pressure from the baseline. Parks, however, responded in the second set, saving four break points to take a 3-2 lead and then breaking Eala in the tenth game to win the set 6-4, forcing a decider.
The third set saw both players exchange early breaks. Eala then secured a crucial break in the fifth game, moving ahead 3-2. She maintained her control from that point, winning the subsequent three games to seal her victory. Eala is also scheduled to feature in the doubles competition, partnering with Venus Williams in a highly anticipated match on Centre Court.
Other Matches and Tournament Details
The third round of the singles competition at the National Bank Open commenced on Thursday at Sobeys Stadium. With only 32 players remaining in the draw, several seeded players are now facing each other. The tournament, which has a prize purse of US$7.43-million, will continue through August 13.
In another third-round match, sixth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia defeated Talia Gibson of Australia with a score of 5-7, 6-1, 6-3, also advancing to the fourth round. Alexandrova later teamed up with Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski for a first-round doubles match against Americans Coco Gauff and Caty McNally. This doubles match was delayed due to heavy rain with Dabrowski serving at 3-3 in the first set.
Dabrowski’s regular partner, Luisa Stefani of Brazil, is not participating in the WTA 1000 hardcourt event due to an elbow injury. Additionally, Leylah Fernandez and Bianca Fernandez, both from Laval, Que., were scheduled to play against Elise Mertens of Belgium and Diana Shnaider of Russia in a late-afternoon match.
The doubles competition also began on Thursday, featuring various pairings. Among them, Coco Gauff and Caty McNally defeated Ekaterina Alexandrova and Gabriela Dabrowski 3-6, 6-3, 11-9. The match saw Alexandrova and Dabrowski leading before a rain delay, after which Gauff and McNally made a comeback. The tournament continues to feature top talent in both singles and doubles events.
Source: telanganatoday.com
