Rybakina advances to WTA Toronto final to face Świątek

Kazakhstan’s top-ranked tennis player Elena Rybakina (World No. 2) beat American Coco Gauff (World No. 4) 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals of the Canadian Open.

Rybakina had faced Gauff only once before — also in Toronto, in 2022. In their second-round meeting, Rybakina lost to the then-18-year-old American 4-6, 7-6 (10-8), 6-7 (3-7).

Rybakina avanged that loss against the now-22-year-old Gauff. The Kazakhstani won the first three points of the match, all on her opponent’s serve but Gauff fought back from 0-40 to hold. The first break of the match did not come until the 12th game, when Rybakina faltered on serve. A string of errors at a crucial moment cost Rybakina the opening set.

Rybakina played a better second set, breaking Gauff twice and holding serve throughout to win it 6-2. Having found her rhythm, Rybakina maintained her momentum in the deciding set as well. Rybakina won 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 in exactly two hours. She finished with five aces to Gauff’s three, one double fault to Gauff’s six and 98 total points to Gauff’s 80.

Last year, Rybakina’s Toronto run ended in the semifinals, where she lost to Canadian Victoria Mboko, the eventual champion. This time, Rybakina will face Iga Świątek on the road to her third title of the year.

The Polish player, currently ranked eighth in the WTA standings, defeated Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina (World No. 9) in the semifinals. The head-to-head record between Rybakina and Świątek, excluding exhibition matches, is tied at 6-6.

The Canadian Open dates back to 1881. In even-numbered years, the women’s tournament is held in Toronto and the men’s event in Montreal. Since 2011, the two hard-court tournaments, which are part of the U.S. Open Series, have been held simultaneously.

The current WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto is officially known as the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, with a total prize pool of $7.4 million.