Iga Swiatek claimed her first title in almost a year at the National Bank Open in Toronto. The Polish seventh seed beat second seed Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-3 on a warm August evening at Sobeys Stadium.
A break from the first game
Rybakina opened with a missed drop-shot and two double faults. Swiatek took the early break and never let go. She closed the first set with a love hold, finishing it with a swerving second-serve winner.
Twelve WTA 1000 crowns, one drought ended
Swiatek broke again for 3-2 in the second set. She ended the match on her second match point with a backhand down the line. The win, her first since Seoul in September 2025, took a clean 75 minutes.
This was her 26th career title and her 12th at WTA 1000 level. She moved past Aryna Sabalenka for the second-most WTA 1000 titles since the format began. Only Serena Williams has more.
"It hasn't been an easy season, probably the toughest one in my life," she told reporters afterwards. "This week has been really positive and inspirational for me. It kind of shows that you need to keep going no matter what."
The victory also gave her a career sweep of North America's biggest hard-court events. By adding a Canadian Open title to her wins at Indian Wells, Miami, the US Open and Cincinnati, she became the youngest woman to complete that set.