Swiatek beats Rybakina in Toronto for first title of 2026

Seventh-seeded Iga Swiatek beat second-seeded Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday in the National Bank Open in Toronto for her first WTA Tour title of the year and 26th overall. The Hindu reports Swiatek, from Poland, broke Rybakina's serve early and took the opening set in 29 minutes, then broke again at 2-2 in the second set to close out the win in 75 minutes.

"I was really in the zone," Swiatek said, adding, "I wanted to make the match physical." Rybakina, who leads the tour in aces, struggled to find her rhythm. "I wasn't playing aggressive enough and wasn't playing with (enough) energy," Rybakina said. The six-time Grand Slam champion is projected to rise two spots to sixth in the world rankings. Rybakina will remain No. 2.

Earlier, Katerina Siniakova and Shuai Zhang beat Sara Errani and Nicole Melichar-Martinez 6-3, 6-4 in the doubles final. Swiatek's victory comes after a "bumpy" season, she said, noting that holding the trophy against the best players means a lot.