Toronto: Swiatek secures National Bank Open title with straight-sets victory

By Liam Tremblay — 14 August 2026 — 3 min read

Swiatek claims first title of the season

Iga Swiatek secured her first WTA Tour title of the year at the National Bank Open in Toronto, defeating Elena Rybakina 6-2, 6-3. This victory marks Swiatek’s first tournament win since last September and her first final appearance since then. The match, played on Thursday at Sobeys Stadium, saw Swiatek break a nearly year-long title drought.

Swiatek, seeded seventh, demonstrated strong form throughout the week, overcoming four top-20 opponents on her path to the title. This is the first time since winning Roland-Garros in 2024 that she has defeated three or more top-20 players in a single tournament. Her performance included controlling the pace with footwork, groundstrokes, and aggressive intensity from the baseline.

The Polish player expressed her satisfaction with the win, noting that her tennis, physicality, and mental approach clicked during the week. She stated that this was her best week of the season so far and that she was proud of herself for holding the trophy after a challenging season. Swiatek is now 26-5 in all tournament finals, with a 12-2 record in 1000-level finals, and has won 15 hard-court titles, remaining unbeaten in her last eight hard-court finals.

Rybakina’s challenging path to the final

Elena Rybakina, the reigning Australian Open champion, faced Swiatek after a demanding tournament schedule. She had played four three-set matches across five encounters, including a late-night victory over Coco Gauff that concluded early Thursday morning. Rybakina’s extensive time on court before the final left her visibly fatigued.

During the final, Rybakina struggled to find her rhythm, committing back-to-back double faults in the opening game, which led to an early break for Swiatek. Despite being known for her powerful serve and leading the tour in aces, Rybakina managed only one ace in the match. She admitted to feeling tired and lacking energy, which impacted her ability to push with her legs and resulted in unforced errors.

Rybakina, currently ranked world No. 2, will remain in that position despite the loss. She will, however, move into first place in the WTA race and leaves Toronto as the season leader in hard court wins with 26, and WTA 1000 wins with 22. The 27-year-old expressed feeling “destroyed” after the match, highlighting the physical toll of the tournament.

Swiatek’s post-match comments

Following her victory, Swiatek made unexpected comments during her post-match interview. When asked about the inspiration the tournament provided, she diverted to address what she described as judging and hating from “experts” back home in Poland. She indicated that she gives less importance to such criticism year by year.

Swiatek mentioned feeling “a little bit even angry” after the victory, stating it was the first time she had felt that way after a win. She suggested that winning the tournament helped prove to those critics that their opinions sometimes “don’t make sense.” When pressed for more specifics at her press conference, she responded, “If you would be Polish, you’d know.”

The tournament also saw a significant presence of Polish-Canadian fans, which surprised Swiatek. She noted that a large portion of the stadium appeared to be Polish, a fact she was unaware of at the beginning of the event. The WTA Tour will now move to Cincinnati for its final stop before the U.S. Open, with the Toronto results impacting seeding for both Swiatek and Rybakina at Flushing Meadows.

Source: thestar.com