Świątek returns after a month, sweeps Bejlek 6:0, 6:3 in Toronto opener
Playing her first match since a third-round Wimbledon exit on 4 July, Iga Świątek needed just over 90 minutes to dismiss Czech qualifier Sara Bejlek in straight sets at the WTA 1000 event in Toronto.
Iga Świątek returned to competition after a month-long break with a commanding 6:0, 6:3 victory over 20-year-old Czech Sara Bejlek in the second round of the Canadian Open in Toronto on Tuesday. The 25-year-old Pole, seeded seventh, had not played since losing to Alexandra Eala of the Philippines in the Wimbledon third round on 4 July, a result that saw her slip to eighth in the WTA rankings.
A one-sided opening set
Świątek dominated from the first point and did not drop a single game in the opening set. Bejlek, who had battled past China's Xiyu Wang 6:3, 4:6, 7:5 in the first round, had no answer for the former world number one's weight of shot and court coverage. The set lasted barely half an hour and set the tone for the evening session on centre court.
Bejlek's resistance in the second
Świątek carried her momentum into the second set, racing to a 3:0 lead and appearing on course for a double-bagel finish. Bejlek then held serve twice to close to 3:2 and began to believe she could turn the match around. The sixth game became the pivotal moment: it stretched beyond 20 minutes, with multiple deuces, and Bejlek came close to levelling the set. Świątek held firm, saved the game, and eventually closed out the set 6:3.
Iga Świątek advanced confidently in Toronto, looking excellent on centre court.
Head-to-head and what comes next
The win extended Świątek's record against Bejlek to 2-0, having also beaten the Czech in straight sets at this year's French Open. By virtue of her seeding, Świątek received a first-round bye while Bejlek had already played and won a three-setter. In the third round, Świątek will face the winner of the match between Croatia's Donna Vekic and Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic. Regardless of the opponent, the Pole enters as the favourite.
Polish presence in Toronto
Świątek is not the only Pole in the draw. Maja Chwalińska is also scheduled to play in Toronto on Tuesday, with Australian Talia Gibson as her opponent. The Canadian Open alternates annually between Toronto and Montreal: in even-numbered years the women play in Toronto and the men in Montreal, a format that reverses in odd years. The last Polish woman to win the tournament was Agnieszka Radwańska in 2014.
