Canadian Open: Iga Swiatek wins first title of 2026, beats Rybakina in final
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Canadian Open: Iga Swiatek wins first title of 2026, beats Rybakina in final")
Iga Swiatek Photograph: (AFP)
Iga Swiatek defeated Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-3 in the National Bank Open final in Toronto to claim her first WTA Tour title of 2026 and 26th career title.
Poland’s six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek won her first title of the 2026 season after beating World No. 2 Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-3 in the Canadian Open final in Toronto on Thursday, according to Olympics.com. Swiatek made a confident start against the reigning Australian Open champion and converted both of her break-point chances while saving both break opportunities created by Rybakina.
The Polish World No. 8 remained in control in the second set and did not face a single break point and converted two of her three chances to finish the match in just 75 minutes.
“I want to dedicate this title to everyone who is dealing with unfair judgement and hate,” Swiatek, the Paris 2024 women’s singles bronze medallist, said after the match, as quoted by Olympics.com.
The win also gave Swiatek a 7-6 advantage over Rybakina in their WTA Tour head-to-head record, ending her two-match losing streak against the Kazakh player.
“Just keep pushing, keep growing, keep focusing on yourself because you know what’s best for you. And always remember what’s ahead and what might be possible,” she added.
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The Toronto triumph was Swiatek’s 12th WTA 1000 title. She moved past Aryna Sabalenka, who has 11, for the second-most WTA 1000 titles since the format began in 2009. Only Serena Williams, with 13 titles, is ahead of her.
This was the second time Swiatek and Rybakina had met in a final, with Swiatek winning both encounters in straight sets. The victory also improved Swiatek’s record in WTA finals to 26-5, giving her the best winning percentage among players who have appeared in at least 20 WTA-level finals since the Tier format began in 1990.
Swiatek began her Toronto campaign with a bagel and lost only six games in her opening two matches. She then fought back to beat Marta Kostyuk in the Round of 16 before producing another dominant performance against Diana Shnaider, winning 6-1, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, Swiatek defeated Elina Svitolina in three sets to reach the final, avenging her two three-set defeats to the Ukrainian earlier this season.
With inputs from agencies
