Canadian Open WTA Toronto Semi-Finals Round-Up | Elena Rybakina sends Coco Gauff out in thriller, set to face Iga Swiatek in final
WTAThursday, 13 August 2026 at 07:01
Elena Rybakina will face Iga Swiatek in the final of the 2026 Canadian Open in Toronto after a marathon win on Wednesday as she saw off Coco Gauff in the semi-finals.
Rybakina came from a set down to beat Gauff who had the better of the duo throughout the opening exchanges winning the opening set 7-5 after Gauff had initially spurned set points at 5-4. But she managed to break at the last opportunity to win through 7-5.
In the second, Rybakina managed to steal a march coming from 2-1 down to lead 3-2 and then held for 4-2 before breaking again to snare the lead and then the set. The impetus was very much hers going into the final knockings and again she came from 2-1 down in the decider with Gauff losing her serve at 3-2 and then Rybakina held for 4-2.
Rybakina managed just like the previous set to break again and snared off break point chances to seal the deal and now sets up a bumper tie with Swiatek in the final tomorrow. This is a semi chance for both with Rybakina after whether she says she is or not, the World No.1 while Swiatek as a former World No.1 is looking to recapture former glory.
Swiatek was first through to the final taking down Elina Svitolina 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 on Wednesday night in a match that was delayed more than an hour due to rain as the semi-final duo had to wait for a protracted period as they attempted to quickly dry the court.
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Swiatek weathers rain and Svitolina
In the blink of an eye, they got onto court and like the rain being on and off it was very much topsy turvy between the pair. Swiatek has lost her two previous matches to Svitolina this year both in three sets. She settled into the tie saving a break point with a backhand winner. Svitolina was often on the back foot and couldn't handle the depth of Swiatek. Svitolina held serve only twice in a 47 minute opener with Swiatek punishing her winning it 6-3.
Swiatek's momentum was only momentary though as Svitolina began to miss less and upped the momentum her direction. Swiatek's unforced error count increased and Svitolina conceded just one game in the second set levelling the match as Swiatek soon had to regroup.
Iga Swiatek of Poland reacts during the women's singles quarterfinal match against Diana Shnaider of Russia at the 2026 National Bank Open
Swiatek pounced though on unforced errors in the decider and Svitolina double faulted while being broken. Leading 5-3 and serving for the match Swiatek finally closed out the win. “A tough match,” Świątek said. “Against Elina it’s always tough, so I’m happy that I won this one.”
“I think I let her play her game a little bit because I sometimes play too short. The balls were not that heavy from my side, so I just needed to put even more energy if I wanted to play better in the third.
“In the second, they were sometimes falling short, sometimes the approach shots were not enough. It was just about the quality, and I knew I can improve it.”
“Tactics can’t do much if you’re just not hitting the ball right. I knew I can do it, because I did it in the first set. I had it in me, I just needed to find the right rhythm.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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