Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina advanced to the National Bank Open final in Toronto after winning demanding three-set semifinals completed overnight at Sobeys Stadium. Seventh-seeded Swiatek defeated ninth seed Elina Svitolina 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, while second-seeded Rybakina recovered to beat fourth seed Coco Gauff 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. The finalists will contest the WTA 1000 title on Thursday, August 13, according to the tournament schedule and results reported by AS.
Swiatek needed two hours and 17 minutes to overcome Svitolina in a match that remained close until the final games. AS reported that the Polish player saved 14 of the 19 break points she faced and finished with only a two-point advantage, 91-89. After taking the opening set and losing the second, Swiatek found the decisive break in the third. The victory put her into her first individual WTA final of 2026 and her first in almost 11 months, excluding Poland's United Cup team final.
Rybakina also responded after dropping the opening set, completing her semifinal comeback against Gauff in two hours. AS said Gauff committed six double faults and lost serve four times, while Rybakina surrendered only one service game. The Kazakh player controlled the final two sets by identical 6-2 scores to secure her first appearance in a Canadian Open final. Her serve and cleaner execution after the first set separated the players as the match progressed.
The result extended Rybakina's sequence of recoveries in the closing rounds. In the quarterfinals she also came back from one set down to defeat Naomi Osaka 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. Swiatek reached the final from the seventh position in the draw, while Rybakina entered as the No. 2 seed. National Bank Open organizers said the 2026 event uses an expanded 12-day format, running from August 1 through August 13, with rest days between matches until the semifinals.
The final brings together two players who had to absorb major shifts in momentum during the previous round. Swiatek's ability to save repeated break chances limited the damage in a match in which Svitolina won nearly as many points. Rybakina, meanwhile, has now reversed a one-set deficit in consecutive matches against Osaka and Gauff. Those paths give the championship match importance as a test of recovery and consistency during the North American hard-court season, but neither semifinal result determines how the final will unfold.
Swiatek will seek to end the individual-title gap highlighted after her semifinal win, while Rybakina will try to turn her first Canadian final into the championship. The official tournament calendar places the women's singles conclusion in Toronto on Thursday, the last day of the event. The winner will take the WTA 1000 trophy after a compressed finish in which both finalists must return to competition following three-set semifinals.
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