Toronto Day 13 Recap Served Up by Sobeys: Swiatek Claims NBO Title with Straight-Sets Win Over Rybakina

Here is the Day 13 Recap Served Up by Sobeys:

Match Results

Iga Swiatek broke her near year-long title drought, beating Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-3 to win the National Bank Open in Toronto.

The eighth-ranked Swiatek had not won a title or reached a final since winning in Seoul last September. The moment did not faze her as she captured her 12^th career WTA 1000 title. Swiatek is now 26-5 across all tournament finals, including a 12-2 mark in 1000-level finals. 

“We all work to have these moments, and for sure I was missing it a little bit. I'm happy at the end, I stayed focused on just grinding and improving because that's the most important thing.  This season, it has been necessary,” Swiatek said of snapping her drought at her press conference. “This week my tennis clicked, physicality as well, the mental work also.  For sure best week of the season so far.”

Swiatek defeated four Top 20 opponents en route to the title (Rybakina, Svitolina, Shnaider, Kostyuk), the first time since winning Roland-Garros in 2024 that she has beaten three or more in a single tournament.

Rybakina had been the queen of comebacks all tournament, but could not overcome a very confident Swiatek who was in top form throughout the week. 

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“I didn't have much energy. I tried my best, but it wasn't enough,” Rybakina said in her post-match press conference. “You can't always be chasing; you sometimes need to actually start up during the matches.  For now it's always been, for me, chasing. This time I couldn't turn it around.”

Swiatek took immediate control of the first set after Rybakina committed back-to-back double faults, handing the eighth-ranked Pole an early break in the opening game. Rybakina - the WTA and tournament ace leader- quickly corrected her early mistakes and held her next two service games at love, but remained in search of a break to put the set back on schedule. 

The reigning Australian Open champion earned a double-break point with a chance to even the set, but Swiatek rattled off four straight points to complete a gutsy hold and take a 4-2 lead. The missed opportunities would bleed into the next game as she let a 30-love lead slip away, allowing Swiatek to break her a second time. The six-time Grand Slam champion would quickly consolidate with a hold at love to finish off a dominant first set.

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Rybakina had a much better start to the second set, holding her first two service games without facing a break point as she tried to climb back into the match. Unfortunately for the 27-year-old, she would commit a pair of unforced errors on her backhand in her next service game, allowing Swiatek her third break of the night. She would go on to consolidate the break to move two games away from the title.

The two would trade holds as Swiatek moved herself one game away from the title, needing another break to clinch. Rybakina fought off the first championship point to stay alive but could not resist the determined Swiatek for long as Swiatek drilled a backhand winner on Championship Point No. 2 to clinch her first title of 2026. 

Read: How the Final Was Won

Swiatek has now won 15 hard-court titles and is unbeaten in her past eight hard-court finals. 

“If I'm in the final, it means that my game is good, and that gives me confidence,” Swiatek said of her record in finals. “I just know what to do. I'm already in the rhythm. You know you need to go all in if you want to win the tournament because you're going to face the best player in the final.  So just trying to focus on that.”

Despite failing to grab her third title of the season, Rybakina will still move into first in the WTA race. She leaves Toronto as the season leader in hard court wins (26) and WTA 1000 wins (22). 

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Feature Photo : Morgan Givens/Wick Photography for National Bank Open