Iga Swiatek secured a hard-fought 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 victory over Elina Svitolina on Wednesday, setting up a title clash with world number two Elena Rybakina at the National Bank Open in Toronto.
Swiatek, seeded seventh and a former world number one, had not reached a final this year until this tournament. She last won a title almost a year ago in Seoul. The Polish star improved her head-to-head record against Svitolina to 5-3, overcoming a player who had beaten her twice earlier this season.
The match faced a rain delay of over an hour before Swiatek surged to a 4-0 lead in the first set. Although Svitolina fought back to save two set points in the opening set's final game, Swiatek closed it out. The Ukrainian dominated the second set, but Swiatek rebounded strongly in the decider, breaking Svitolina at love to take a 5-3 lead and then serving out the match.
Swiatek commented: "Against Elina it's always tough, so I'm happy that I won this one, especially coming back strong in the third set. I'm proud of myself for staying patient and adjusting my game."
Svitolina, who won the Canadian Open title in 2017, was aiming for her third final at a WTA 1000 event this season, having won in Rome and finished runner-up in Dubai.
On the other side of the draw, Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina rallied from a set down to defeat fourth-seeded American Coco Gauff 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. This victory sets up the final against Swiatek on Thursday.
Rybakina, the Australian Open champion, is chasing her third title of the year following wins in Melbourne and Stuttgart. Her performance in Toronto brings her closer to world number one Aryna Sabalenka ahead of the US Open.
Rybakina said: "The first set was close, but I knew I had to start strong in the second. I managed to make some good returns, and things turned around. The long matches and adrenaline helped me stay focused."
