Iga Swiatek, Petra Kvitova spotted practicing together ahead of the 2022 Canadian Open
World No. 1 Iga Swiatek and two-time Grand Slam champion Petra Kvitova were spotted hitting the practice courts together in Toronto ahead of the Canadian Open, the first WTA 1000 event of the 2022 US hardcourt swing.
The duo faced each other for the first time at the Miami Open in March this year, with Swiatek edging her Czech opponent in two closely-contested sets.
Swaitek was seen sporting the Asics practice kit that she wore during her title-winning run at the 2022 French Open, while Kvitova — one of the top faces for Nike — wore the brand's 2022 summer collection.
Things are starting to pick-up at Sobeys Stadium in anticipation of the start of the @NBOtoronto
Right now we've got World No. 1 Iga Swiatek practicing with two-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova getting ready for main draw matches that begin on Monday. https://t.co/2S7SekPRTD
Photographs from the practice session on the Center Court at the Sobeys Stadium, the venue for this year's WTA edition, first made their way onto the Twitter handle of Canadian journalist Mike McIntyre — before being retweeted by the tournament's official handle.
"Things are starting to pick-up at Sobeys Stadium in anticipation of the start of the @NBOtoronto. Right now we've got World No. 1 Iga Swiatek practicing with two-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova getting ready for main draw matches that begin on Monday," McIntyre wrote on Twitter.
Swiatek, who was last seen in action at her home event in Warsaw, will look to make a winning start to her preparations for the season's last Grand Slam in New York — scheduled to begin on August 29.
Kvitova, a former champion at the WTA 1000 event, will, meanwhile, be looking to rebound from a few early exits at the tournament in recent years.
Iga Swiatek, Peta Kvitova land in opposite halves at the 2022 Canadian Open
Iga Swiatek and Petra Kvitova have landed in opposite halves of the 2022 Canadian open, the draw for which was released earlier in the week.
As the top seed, Swaitek anchors the top half of the tournament. She will open her campaign against the winner of the first-round encounter between Veronika Kudermetova and Shelby Rogers.
Kvitova, who lifted the crown at the Canadian Open back in 2012, will play Alison Riske-Amritraj in her first match. The Czech could set up a rematch from the Wimbledon third round against fourth seed Paula Badosa at the same stage of the tournament.
Anett Kontaveit and Maria Sakkari round out the top four seeds at the tournament, which will also feature defending champion Camila Giorgi.