Swiatek battles back to defeat Collins, moves into semifinals in Montreal

Iga Swiatek had to battle to eliminate Danielle Collins at the National Bank Open Montreal with a score of 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

World No. 1 came into the match after two tough victories over Karolina Pliskova and Karolina Muchova, in both of which she had to bring out her best repertoire and fight to secure the wins.

Iga Swiatek has achieved 21 victories in her last 22 matches and entered the tournament as the first seed. However, she hadn't had favorable results in the Canadian Open previously, falling in the 2022 edition's round of 16 against Beatriz Haddad Maia, who later reached the final (losing to Simona Halep).

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The American player had an impressive run from the qualifying rounds, winning five matches in the Canadian Open. In the main draw, she defeated Elina Svitolina in the first round, followed by the 8th seed Maria Sakkari, and in the round of 16, she defeated the local favorite Leylah Fernandez.

In their previous encounters, Swiatek led the head-to-head 2-1, although Collins had won their sole meeting in a major tournament, defeating Swiatek in the semifinals of the 2022 Australian Open.

Swiatek started the first set strongly, securing an early break in the second game and quickly taking a 3-0 lead. The Polish player secured another break later and was up 5-1 with her serve to come. Despite Collins' resistance with a break of her own, Swiatek took the set 6-3.

The second set initially seemed to be in Swiatek's favor, as she once again got an early break. However, Collins gradually found her rhythm in the match, consistently targeting Swiatek's forehand.

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The 4-time Grand Slam champion became frustrated and committed several unforced errors. Collins managed to secure a break and won three consecutive games to lead the set. The tenth game, on Swiatek's serve, was intense.

Polish tennis player saved three set points, but the former Australian Open champion remained focused and secured the break to take the set 6-4.

Collins couldn't maintain her high level of play in the third set. She conceded the first break in the third game, a lead that Swiatek capitalized on and made insurmountable by securing another break in the seventh game.

Swiatek closed out the match confidently on her serve, advancing to the semifinals with a final score of 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. In the next round, she will face Jessica Pegula, who defeated Coco Gauff in the quarterfinals on Friday.

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