By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, August 13, 2026
Photo credit: National Bank Open Facebook
Tennis is a numbers game.
Lately, Elena Rybakina is exposing deceptive digits at the top of the sport.
World No. 2 Rybakina sure looked like the world’s premier player at the climax tonight, rallying past Coco Gauff 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 into the Toronto final.
It is Rybakina’s fourth three-set win of the tournament—she went the distance defeating Daria Kasatkina, Liudmila Samsonova and Naomi Osaka in the quarterfinals—and sends her into her first National Bank Open final.
WTA ace leader Rybakina, wiill face former world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in Thursday’s 6 p.m. final. The two Grand Slam champions have split 12 career meetings. WTA Finals champion Rybakina has won their lat two encounters, including a 7-5, 6-1 triumph in the Australian Open quarterfinals in January. The 27-year-old Rybakina went on to topple Sabalenka and take the title in Melbourne.
Two-time Grand Slam champion Rybakina will play for her third WTA 1000 crown—and first since 2023 Rome—and if she takes the title she will move to within four points of surpassing Sabalenka for the world No. 1 ranking.
Six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek fought off Elina Svitolina 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in tonight’s first semifinal.
Down a break at 2-3 in the decider, Swiatek spun some down the line strikes reeling off four games in a row two close in two hours, 17 minutes.
It is Swiatek’s first final of the season and avenges a pair of three-set losses she suffered to the Ukrainian at Indian Wells and Rome. Swiatek, the only woman to reach at least one WTA 1000 final in each of the last six seasons, is playing for a 12th career WTA 1000 championship—and first since she defeated Jasmine Paolini to capture the Cincinnati Open crown lat August.
“Well, mostly I just wanted to adjust the quality, you know, to have better quality,” Swiatek said after getting blown out in the second set. “Because tactics, you know, can’t do much if you’re just not hitting the ball right.
“I knew I can do it, because I did it in the first set. I had it in me, I just needed to find the right rhythm. I’m happy that I was patient enough to do that and didn’t get disappointed or didn’t give up, and just found a way to play better in the third.”
Sputtering out of the blocks in a triple break-point hole, a resilient Gauff found her footing. Gauff fought off all three break points holding to open.
After that strong stand, Gauff did not face a break point the rest of the set.
The 22-year-old Gauff typically likes to play her heavy topspin forehand down the line to a right-hander’s backhand, which often provokes a crosscourt reply back to her favored two-hander.
Tonight, Gauff was primed to play crosscourt forehand exchanges to Rybakina’s weaker forehand wing. Gauff was striking flatter shots trying to make the 6’ Kazakh uncomfortable coping with the low ball.
Facing set point on serve at 4-5, Rybakina ripped a wide serve winner to save it and spark a hold to level after 10 games.
Though the two-hander is Rybakina’s most reliable stroke, she scrawled a pair of backhand errors then slapped a flat forehand into net to face two more set points.
Showing patience throughout an 11-shot rally, a probing Gauff drew another netted forehand from Rybakina to close the 44-minute opener with a shout.
Australian Open champion Rybakina won 16 of 20 first-serve points in the first set, while Gauff prevailed on 10 of her 16 second-serve points in the set.
Midway through the second set, Rybakina ripped a crosscourt return to repel a Gauff serve-and-volley attempt and earn her first break point since the first game.
When the second seed attacked the net, Gauff had a good look at a forehand pass, but decelerated her swing and pasted the pass into the middle of the net. Rybakina scored her first break for a 3-2 lead.
Swinging more freely, Rybakina rolled through her first love hold of the set, consolidating for 4-2.
Rybakina ripped through 12 points in a row to blow open the second set as Gauff’s forehand failed her.
When Gauff ballooned a forehand beyond the baseline, Rybakina snatched the second set to force a decider after 81 minutes of play.
Timing the ball better, Rybakina was stepping into her shots and punishing Gauff with penetrating drives. Rybakina streaked through 15 of the last 17 points of the set.
Confronting double break point in the third game, Gauff quieted the threat unleashing a couple of crackling first serves then dipping a low pass Rybakina could not control as the American held for 2-1.
When Rybakina ratcheted up pressure with triple break point in the fifth game, Gauff was trying to squeeze flatter drives closer to the lines rather than mix spins. A Gauff forehand crashed into the tape and plopped wide as Rybakina broke for 3-2.
Rybakina rocketed a flat forehand down the line backing up the break for 4-2.
Credit Gauff for trying to throw different tactics at the world No. 2—she serve-and-volleyed at times and tried to tie the Kazakh up with deep drives down the middle—but Rybakina had the answers on pivotal points. Rybakina ripped a return for break point then drew a backhand error to post her fourth break for 5-2
Brushing aside a couple of break points in the final game, Rybakina rattled out errors to beat Gauff for the first time in just their second meeting.
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