Brazilian outsider Beatriz Haddad Maia on Thursday toppled Iga Swiatek 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals of the WTA Toronto Masters.
The South American, ranked 24th in the world, beat her third top-10 opponent this season, but notched her first career win over a world No. 1 as she clawed out the victory in three hours.
Haddad Maia, who won titles at Nottingham and Birmingham in June, became the first Brazilian to reach the quarters at a WTA 1000 tournament. She was the first from her country to face a No. 1 since Telian Pereira lost to Serena Williams at Roland Garros in 2016.
Photo: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY
Swiatek, whose six titles this season include the French Open, missed her chance at a 50th match win this year in the setback that comes two weeks before the start of the US Open.
Her run of 23 straight wins at the Masters 1000 level was snapped in difficult playing conditions.
“At the beginning, I struggled to find my rhythm, probably because she’s lefty and I had a hard time adjusting to her serve,” Swiatek said. “Without the wind I would manage, but it was pretty crazy out there. “In the third set I knew [the mistakes] I’d made. So I know what I want to work on and what I want to improve before the next tournament, for sure.”
Haddad Maia put Swiatek on the defensive, forcing her to save 15 of 19 break points while committing nine double-faults.
She limited her own unforced errors to a dozen, backed up by 23 winners while Swiatek ended with 33 winners and 28 unforced errors.
“I’m happy and proud of myself and my team, it’s a special moment,” she said. “It’s not always easy to beat the No. 1 on a huge stage and against all the crowd. I think I passed through very tough moments in my career to live this moment. I just want to enjoy a little bit.”
Haddad Maia next faces Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic for a place in the semi-finals.
Bencic followed up her victory over 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams with a brisk 6-1, 6-3 win over Spain’s Garbine Muguruza.
In other third-round action, Coco Gauff survived 15 double-faults to squeeze out a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) win over Aryna Sabalenka.
Gauff faces two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep after the former No. 1 from Romania defeated Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann 6-2, 7-5 in 91 minutes.
Seventh-seeded American Jessica Pegula advanced, beating defending champion Camila Giorgi of Italy 3-6, 6-0, 7-5.
Pegula faces Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva, who beat Alison Riske 6-3, 7-5.
China’s Zheng Qinwen ended the hopes of home favorite Bianca Andreescu with a 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 victory over the former US Open champion.
Zheng faces Karolina Pliskova, who ousted third-seeded Maria Sakkari 6-1, 6-7 (9/11), 6-3.
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