Iga Swiatek won the Canadian Open women’s singles title by beating Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-3 in the final on August 13 in Toronto at the WTA 1000 event, a key tune-up for the US Open [1, 2, 3]. The 25-year-old Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion, ended a nearly year-long title drought, securing her first championship of the 2026 season [1, 2].
Rybakina, 27, entered the final as the world number two and reigning Australian Open champion but struggled with fatigue after a late semi-final win over Coco Gauff that extended past midnight local time [1, 2, 4]. She committed 12 unforced errors in the first set and showed signs of waning concentration, which Swiatek capitalized on by breaking her serve multiple times [3, 5, 4]. The match lasted 1 hour and 15 minutes, with Swiatek asserting control through confident serving and strong baseline play [3].
Speaking after the match, Swiatek said the victory meant a lot following a tough season filled with criticism and personal challenges. "I’m really happy that I kept focusing on growing, changing my game a little bit, improving despite all the opinions that many people have about me every day on the internet," she said. "So I’m really happy that the reality is different. I have people that know me so well and people that support me every week, every day... so thank you to the team," she added [2]. She also dedicated her title to those facing unfair judgment, encouraging perseverance and self-focus [6].
Rybakina acknowledged fatigue and concentration issues as key factors in her defeat. "I was just very tired. You could see that I wasn’t pushing with the legs enough. There was a lot of unforced errors," she said [4].
With the win, Swiatek will rise from No. 8 back into the top five in world rankings. The title marked her 12th career WTA 1000 championship [1, 3].
In men’s action, Americans Ben Shelton and Brandon Nakashima both reached the singles final with straight-sets victories in their semi-final matches earlier the same day [3, 7].
