Iga Świątek reached the semifinals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto on Monday, beating Diana Shnaider in the quarterfinal. The 22-year-old Shnaider, who is left-handed and chose to serve at the coin toss, struggled with her opening service games before settling down later in the match, though she continued to make a large number of errors throughout.
Świątek broke Shnaider's serve early, then broke again to move ahead 5-2 before holding her own serve to close out the first set 6-2. She controlled the match throughout, using high, topspin-heavy forehands that gave the shorter Shnaider persistent trouble.
Second set stayed comfortable
Świątek carried her dominance into the second set, breaking Shnaider's serve to lead 2-1, then again to go up 3-1, and once more to reach 4-1. There was little resistance from Shnaider as Świątek closed out the match with strong returning throughout.
The win followed what Świątek called one of the best matches of her season, a comeback victory over Marta Kostiuk in which she lost the first set before winning the next two convincingly. Beating Kostiuk marked her first win over a significant opponent since defeating Jessica Pegula in the Rome quarterfinal, and her third such win of the year after beating Karolina Muchova in Indian Wells.
Coach still absent from the bench
Świątek's coach, Francisco Roig, was again missing from her player box in Toronto. Roig had told Świątek before the American hard-court swing that he was not ready to travel with her for a full season, comparing the demands of the WTA Tour to a quick trip to a convenience store for a roll and yogurt, an arrangement Świątek accepted. His absence at the start of the American swing had been planned, though it remains unclear why she has not yet found a second coach to fill the gap. Advice she has received from her bench during matches has focused on sticking to her established game plan.
Świątek will next face the winner of the semifinal between Ekaterina Alexandrova, ranked 19th in the WTA, and Elina Svitolina, ranked ninth.
