Swiatek fends off Bejlek to reach Toronto third round
The Pole saved nine break points in a marathon 22-minute game in her first match since her Wimbledon title defence ended early.
Poland's Iga Swiatek battled past Czech opponent Bejlek to reach the third round in Toronto, surviving a physically demanding contest in her first match since her Wimbledon title defence ended with a third-round exit.
Swiatek rolled through the first nine games and appeared in total control with a double-break for a 3-0 lead in the second set. But her opponent dug in and disrupted the Pole's rhythm, winning two straight games before Swiatek pulled off a great escape — fending off nine break points in a 22-minute sixth game to hold serve for 4-2.
"It was quite a weird game, I've got to say," Swiatek told Tennis Channel. "I felt like we both were kind of changing the rhythm and the pace all the time, so sometimes it was hard to adjust to it.
"I'm happy that I stayed in the game and stayed solid because I felt at the end it got pretty physical."
Swiatek has slipped from third in the world at this time last year to her current eighth. Her Wimbledon disappointment came just four weeks after the four-time French Open champion bowed out in the last 16 at Roland Garros. She has yet to reach a Tour-level final this season.
She next faces Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic, who beat Croatia's Donna Vekic 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.
Swiatek said she used some of the extra time after Wimbledon to work on technical aspects of her game, focusing on her rhythm and not rushing on court. "I feel like for sure in practice I already have these new habits in me. Sometimes during the match you've just got to focus even more to not let these old patterns come back."
World number one Aryna Sabalenka was due to open her campaign on Tuesday night against Japanese qualifier Moyuka Uchijima. The Belarusian has won 23 of her 24 hard-court matches this year, her only defeat coming against Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final.
Elsewhere, ninth seed Elina Svitolina rallied from a set and a break down to beat Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, while 10th seed Marta Kostyuk recovered from 4-1 down in the opening set to beat Canadian wild card Katherine Sebov 7-6 (7/4), 6-0.
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