Elena Rybakina battles past Coco Gauff to set up Toronto final against Swiatek

By SABC Sport
13th August 2026

Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina recovered from a set down to defeat Coco Gauff 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 and reach the Toronto Masters final, where she will face former World No 1 Iga Swiatek.

World No 2 Rybakina battled back from a set down for a second consecutive match, after also fighting back against Naomi Osaka in the quarter-finals, as she looks to close the gap on top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka.

Gauff took a hard-fought opening set 7-5, but Rybakina responded strongly, dominating the next two sets with improved serving and cleaner baseline play to run away with the match.

"I feel like in the first set we were playing well but then I rushed it a little bit. I'm just glad that I managed to win again in three sets," Rybakina said after the match.

"Last time we played, it was such a battle and even in practice, it's always a close match."

Rybakina will meet seventh-seeded Swiatek, who booked her place in the final earlier on Wednesday with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 victory over Elina Svitolina.

The result sent Swiatek into her first WTA final of the year and improved her record against Svitolina to 5-3.

Swiatek made a flying start after a rain delay of more than an hour, racing into a 4-0 lead as Svitolina struggled to hold serve. The Ukrainian dug in late in the set, saving two set points in the final game, but Swiatek eventually closed it out.

Svitolina responded emphatically in the second set, however, surging through it to level the match and force a decider.

Swiatek regained control in the third, breaking Svitolina to love for a 5-3 advantage before holding her nerve on serve to seal the victory.

"Against Elina it's always tough, so I'm happy that I won this one," said Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion who will be chasing her first title since she won in Seoul almost a year ago.

"After that second set I knew I had to do everything I could to get my rhythm and my game back. It's not easy to do that during a match - to keep your calm and your composure and follow the plan. I'm happy in the third set I did that and it paid off in the end. I didn't doubt myself."