Iga Świątek is making strides at the Canadian Open, producing some of her best tennis of the season as she continues the quest for her first title of 2026 after an underwhelming string of results. However, the Pole did not take kindly to her form being described as “vintage,” explaining why she took issue with the label.
Why Iga Świątek Has Rejected the ‘Vintage’ Tag at the Canadian Open
After a third-round loss to Alexandra Eala ended her title defense at Wimbledon, Świątek has bounced back with a strong campaign at the Canadian Open. Following a first-round bye, the world No. 8 cruised past Sára Bejlek and Viktorija Golubic in straight sets.
Świątek then mounted a stellar comeback during her battle with Marta Kostyuk in the fourth round, triumphing 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals. She has now booked a spot in the semifinals of the WTA 1000 event after claiming a clinical 6-2, 6-1 win over Diana Shnaider in just 64 minutes.
The Pole made an appearance on the Tennis Channel after her dominant win, where host Brett Haber described her performance as “very vintage.”
“I want to say that that felt very vintage in terms of the way you played the height over the net, the way you moved your forehand around,” Haber said.
However, Świątek was quick to push back against the characterization, questioning how her level from only a few years ago could be considered vintage, while pointing out that she is just 25 years old.
“Why vintage? Everybody keeps saying vintage, but what the hell. It’s been like, what, 2 or 3 years? Like you must be like nine year old that people keep calling it vintage,” she responded. “There there have been many people coming to me like ‘vintage Iga’ and I’m like, I’m still 25.”
After Haber rephrased the question and asked about her confidence heading into the semifinals, Świątek reflected on the variety of opponents she has faced in Toronto. Having gained valuable experience from each match, she also expressed her readiness for the semifinals.
“Every match here is giving me quite a lot. I felt like the one with Marta Kostyuk obviously was the most tight. So I also had to bounce back from being a set down and kind of figure out problems on the court,” she said.
“The rest of the matches were pretty straightforward, but they’re giving me different kind of experiences because I played with two lefties, I played with a girl who has a really great topspin. I played with a girl who slices a lot. It feels like I played with everybody. And I will see who’s my opponent is going to be? And yeah, I feel ready for sure,” she added.
No. 7 seed Iga Świątek is set to square off against No. 9 seed Elina Svitolina in a battle for a spot in the Canadian Open final. Although Świątek enters the clash with a 4-3 lead in their head-to-head record, Svitolina has emerged victorious in both of their meetings this season.
