Iga Swiatek reached her first WTA final in nearly a year at the Canadian Open in Toronto on Aug. 13, defeating Elina Svitolina 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in a rain-delayed semifinal to advance to her 14th career WTA 1000 final. The victory was Swiatek’s first over Svitolina in three meetings in 2026, and it came after the pair went the distance for the third time this season.
Play began an hour late because of rain, and Swiatek survived early pressure-saving a couple of break points in the opening game-before taking control. The world-class Pole won the first four games and broke Svitolina in her first three service games to claim the opening set 6-3.
Svitolina responded with aggressive tactics in the second set, cutting hard at every ball and racing to a 5-0 lead. She had three set points on Swiatek’s serve that would have produced a 6-0 set, but settled for 6-1 after the Pole held once.
The Ukrainian kept the initiative early in the decider and converted a break in the fifth game to go up 3-2. Just when momentum seemed to swing fully to Svitolina, her level dipped and she did not win another game. Swiatek immediately broke back and then ran off four straight games-including a break to love to move 5-3-before closing out the match and her place in the final.
In the other semifinal, second-seeded Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan overcame fourth-seeded Coco Gauff 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 to set up the title match with Swiatek. Gauff, who had not played since Sunday, showed early rust but rallied to win the first set after missing a set point on Rybakina’s serve at 5-4. Rybakina then seized control: Gauff was broken early in the second, struggled to keep rallies alive, and Rybakina ran away with the last two sets, winning the final five games to close out the victory.
The stage is set for a Swiatek–Rybakina final in Toronto, pitting the resurgent Pole against the in-form Kazakhstani for the Canadian Open crown.
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/sports/rybakina-beats-gauff-swiatek-sees-off-svitolina-to-reach-toronto-final-1615582
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Publish Date: 2026-08-13 12:34:00
