Swiatek Holds Off Svitolina, Rybakina Fights Back Against Gauff to Reach Toronto Final

It was a loaded semifinal lineup featuring three Grand Slam singles champions with 10 majors between them. The one non-major champion in the field was an Olympic medallist and the only one of the four to have lifted the trophy already in Toronto in her career.

The doubles final was also be set on Wednesday, as the second semifinal was be contested on the Grandstand.

CENTRE COURT - Not Before 8:00 pm

• [7] Iga Swiatek (POL) d. [9] Elina Svitolina (UKR) 6-3, 1-6, 6-3
  • Taking to the court an hour after their originally scheduled start time due to rain, Swiatek saved a couple of break points in the opening game before seizing control. She won the first four games to start the match and broke in Svitolina's first three service games. The Ukrainian did not manage a hold until she was down 5-2 and only managed to recover one of the breaks. However, she upped the aggression in the second set and it paid dividends. Svitolina refused to rally with the Pole, taking big cuts on every ball in sight. She was rewarded with two breaks on her way to a 5-0 lead. The Ukrainian nearly managed a bagel with three set points on Swiatek's serve, but had to settle for a breadstick. Svitolina stayed on the front foot early in the third set, applying pressure in Swiatek's early service games. She missed a couple of chances to break in the opening game but managed to convert in the fifth game to go up 3-2. But just when it seemed like the match was on the Ukrainian's racquet, her level dropped. She would not win another game as Swiatek took advantage of the lull, breaking right back to kick off a run of four straight games, including a break to love to go up 5-3, to book her spot in the final.
• [2] Elena Rybakina (KAZ) d. [4] Coco Gauff (USA) 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 
  • Having not played since Sunday, Gauff showed some rust in the opening game when she fell behind love-40. That shocked her into life though as she rallied to hold and defended her serve well the rest of the set. In the late stages, she started to get into Rybakina's service games. The American missed a set point on the Kazakhstani's serve at 5-4, 30-40 but got the job done two games later, breaking to wrap up the opener. Gauff started to get into trouble though early in the second. After battling through a tough hold in her second service game, everything fell apart in her third as she was broken to go down 2-3. Suddenly, nothing was working for Gauff as she struggled to keep the ball in play, both from her serve and in the rallies. Rybakina added a break to love late before serving the match into a decider. While the American managed to slow the bleeding with a couple of holds to start, she was still under constant pressure and cracked again in her third game. The set quickly turned into a mirror image of set two, with Rybakina running away with it once she broke. The Kazakhstani won the last five games in a row, breaking a second time for 5-2 and then closing out the win with a hold from 15-40 down.

GRANDSTAND - Starts at 5:00 PM

• [1] Katerina Siniakova (CZE) / Shuai Zhang (CHN) d. Tereza Mihalikova (SVK) / Olivia Nicholls (GBR) 6-1, 7-5
  • The top seeds were playing a near-perfect match until rain threw a wrench into their plans. They started the match a perfect 3/3 on break points, scoring two breaks as they raced through the first and one in the second, while never even being pushed to deuce on their own serve. Rain delayed the match for several hours with the top seeds up 4-2 in the second. That pause gave life to Mihalikova and Nicholls, who reeled off three straight games upon the restart, including a break, to get back in it. However, that was their last gasp. Siniakova and Zhang responded with three straight games of their own to finish off the match in straight sets. 

The WTA's best return to Toronto for the National Bank Open presented by Rogers Aug 1 to 13 at Sobeys Stadium. Get your tickets today!

Feature Photo : Mark Blinch/Wick Photography for National Bank Open