Iga Swiatek ended a ten-month title drought by defeating Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-3 in the Canadian Open final in Toronto on Thursday. The seventh seed delivered a commanding 75-minute performance to claim the 26th trophy of her career.
Rybakina undone by a disastrous start
Two double faults in the opening service game handed Swiatek an early break, and the Pole never looked back. She broke serve four times overall and was never troubled on her own delivery. Rybakina, who had come back from a set down against four opponents this week, including Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff, could not summon the energy for another fightback. "I'm not sure if I can tell you what is not hurting actually. I feel kind of destroyed now," the Kazakh admitted after the match, summing up the physical toll of a grueling week.
A 12th WTA 1000 crown, the most among active players
The victory takes Swiatek to 12 WTA 1000 titles, surpassing Aryna Sabalenka (11) and leaving only Serena Williams (13) ahead of her in the category's all-time list. The Pole also completed a rare North American sweep: Indian Wells (2022, 2024), Miami (2022), US Open (2022), Cincinnati (2025) and now Canada. Her career finals record stands at an imposing 26-5.
What this title means for the rankings
Swiatek climbs three spots to world No. 5, while Rybakina holds onto No. 2 and moves to No. 1 in the Race to the WTA Finals. The pair could meet again as soon as next week at Cincinnati, the last Masters 1000 before the US Open. "We've played many important matches against each other, and I'm sure there are going to be many, many more," Swiatek said after improving to 7-6 in their head-to-head. (Sources: WTA, Tennis Majors, SofaScore)
