Toronto, 13 August (H.S.):

Iga Swiatek produced a strong comeback to defeat Ukraine's Elina Svitolina 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 and book her place in the final of the Canadian Open 2026. It will be Swiatek's first final of the season, where she will face Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina for the title.

In the rain-delayed semi-final, former world No. 1 Swiatek secured the opening set 6-3. Svitolina, however, responded emphatically in the second set, breaking Swiatek's serve twice to level the contest with a 6-1 victory.

The Ukrainian then took a 3-2 lead in the deciding set, putting Swiatek under considerable pressure. The Polish star, however, remained composed and responded brilliantly, winning four consecutive games to seal victory and secure her place in the final.

After the match, Swiatek said, “After the second set, I knew I had to do everything possible to regain my rhythm and get my game back. It is not easy to do that during a match — to stay calm, maintain your composure and stick to your strategy. I am happy that I managed to do that in the third set and that it ultimately paid off. I never doubted myself.”

Swiatek's season so far has been marked by inconsistent results. She has not progressed beyond the quarter-finals at any Grand Slam this year. Following an unexpected second-round defeat to compatriot Magda Linette at the Miami Open, she made changes to her coaching team, replacing Wim Fissette with Francisco Roig.

Swiatek also suffered an early setback at Wimbledon, where she was beaten by Alexandra Eala in the third round despite entering the tournament as the defending champion.

Rybakina Defeats Gauff

In the other semi-final, second seed Elena Rybakina defeated fourth-seeded American Coco Gauff 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the final. Rybakina once again demonstrated her ability to recover after losing the opening set. She had also defeated Japan's Naomi Osaka in three sets in the quarter-finals.

Rybakina will now face Swiatek in the Canadian Open final, with both players aiming to claim the prestigious title.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar