Iga Świątek is back in the winner's circle. The Polish star handled Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-3 in Thursday's 2026 Canadian Open final, capturing her 26th career title and first of the WTA season.
The No. 7 seed needed just 75 minutes to get past No. 2 Rybakina in Toronto.
Iga Świątek Wins the Break-Point Battle in Toronto
Iga Świątek established control early in the first frame, breaking Rybakina's serve in the third while holding every service game she played. She wrapped the opening set inside a half hour. Then, a second break arrived at 2-2 in the second set, and Świątek took advantage. She finished 4-for-5 on break chances and turned aside both looks Rybakina generated to easily close out the match.
"I was really in the zone," Świątek said afterward. "I wanted to make the match physical."
Serving numbers told the rest of the story. Rybakina, who came in leading the tour in aces, hit just one all night and won only 41% of her second-serve points. Her tough road to the Toronto final, a run that saw four of her first five matches end in three sets, left her gassed against a fresh Świątek.
"The tank was half empty today," Rybakina said after the match. "I was just very tired. You could see that I wasn't pushing with the legs enough. There was a lot of unforced errors, especially on top of the net. It was just pure lack of concentration."
A Title Drought Ends in Toronto
The trophy is Świątek's 12th at the WTA 1000 level, completing her career sweep of North American WTA 1000 events. It also comes at a difficult time in the six-time Grand Slam champion's career, something she addressed after the win.
"There are plenty of things that athletes, not only athletes, all the people have to struggle with," Swiatek said after ending her title draught.
"Sometimes we need to fight things that we shouldn't. That's why I'm even more proud of myself. I focused on my path and I didn't let that define me."
