- Polish Star Defeats Rybakina in Straight Sets to Capture 26th Career WTA Crown
TORONTO: Seventh-seeded Iga Swiatek produced a commanding performance on Thursday, defeating second-seeded Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-3 to win the National Bank Open and secure her first WTA Tour title of the year.
The victory marked the Polish star’s 26th career WTA singles title and further strengthened her position among the leading players in women’s tennis.
Swiatek Controls Final from the Start
Swiatek immediately put pressure on Rybakina, breaking the Kazakh player’s serve early and taking control of the opening set. She wrapped up the first set in just 29 minutes.
The six-time Grand Slam champion maintained her momentum in the second set, earning another break at 2-2 before closing out the match in a highly efficient 75 minutes.
Rybakina, renowned for her powerful serve and currently leading the WTA Tour in aces, struggled to establish her usual rhythm against Swiatek’s relentless baseline game.
Swiatek’s consistency, court coverage and aggressive shot-making kept Rybakina under sustained pressure, while a low unforced-error count helped the Polish star maintain control throughout the contest.
Swiatek Set to Climb World Rankings
The Toronto triumph is expected to lift Swiatek two places to No. 6 in the next WTA rankings.
Rybakina, meanwhile, is projected to retain her position at No. 2 in the world despite the defeat.
Siniakova and Zhang Capture Doubles Title
Earlier in the tournament, Katerina Siniakova and Shuai Zhang claimed the women’s doubles championship.
The pair defeated Sara Errani and Nicole Melichar-Martinez 6-3, 6-4 in the final to complete their title-winning campaign in Toronto.
BY: The Times Union
