Swiatek and Rybakina to clash in Toronto final
Theo Al Jazeera English
Iga Swiatek beat Elina Svitolina 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in Toronto to reach her first final of the season, where she will face Elena Rybakina, who ousted Coco Gauff in three sets. Both players overcame tricky semifinal tests to set up an intriguing title match on Thursday.
Iga Swiatek overcame Ukraine's Elina Svitolina 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 to book her spot in the Toronto final, where she will meet world No. 2 Elena Rybakina.
Australian Open champion Rybakina produced another gritty comeback, defeating fourth seed Coco Gauff 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals to advance to Thursday's final at the hard-court tournament that serves as a warm-up for the US Open.
Swiatek, the former world No. 1 and seventh seed, reached her first final of the year. Her last title came nearly a year ago in Seoul.
The win improved her head-to-head record against Svitolina to 5-3. The Ukrainian had won both previous meetings this year, narrowing the gap in their rivalry.
In a match delayed over an hour by rain, the six-time Grand Slam champion raced to a 4-0 lead in the opening set. However, Svitolina made Swiatek work hard to close it out, saving two set points in the final game.
Energized, Svitolina dominated the second set before Swiatek regained control in the third, breaking serve to lead 5-3 and then holding to seal the victory.
“Playing Elina is always tough, so I'm happy to get this win,” Swiatek said. “Especially that I played better in the third set. That's definitely a big progression. I'm proud of myself.”
Svitolina, the 2017 Toronto champion, was chasing her third WTA 1000 title of the season after triumphing in Rome and finishing runner-up in Dubai. But she couldn't sustain her level as Swiatek raised her game in the decider.
“Mostly I just wanted to adjust the quality,” Swiatek said. “Tactics don't help much if you're not hitting the ball well. I knew I could do it because I did in the first set. I'm happy I was patient enough and didn't get frustrated or give up.”
Rybakina fights past Gauff
Rybakina, who also came from a set down against Naomi Osaka in the quarterfinals, is now aiming for her third title of the season after winning Melbourne and Stuttgart.
Her run in Canada narrows the gap to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the rankings as the US Open, starting Aug. 31, approaches.
The Kazakhstani finished her match with Gauff just before 1 a.m. local time, capitalizing when the American began to struggle under pressure on her serve.
“She served really well in the first set,” Rybakina said. “The first set was pretty even, but at the end I think I was rushing a bit on my serve.
“I knew I needed to start strong from the second set. I'm happy I made some good returns, and then things turned around.”
While Rybakina had to get past Osaka to reach the semifinals, Gauff advanced via a walkover. Rybakina believes the extra match time may have helped her.
“I guess the adrenaline and the hours on court helped,” she said. “In the third set, there were moments where I just felt like swinging, and there was a crazy return at 30-30, and it went my way. I had chances, and I took them.”
