Swiatek defeats Rybakina to claim Canadian Open title​

Iga Swiatek captured her first title of the ⁠season with a swift ⁠6-2 6-3 win against Elena Rybakina in the Canadian Open final, giving the Pole a confidence boost heading into the US Open.

It was Swiatek’s first final at ⁠the US Open tune-up event, and the six-times Grand Slam champion enjoyed the Toronto crowd chanting “Iga! Iga!” throughout the match on Thursday on her way to victory, with a few Polish flags in the crowd.

But Swiatek ⁠told Canadian network Sportsnet that she felt angry after the win, having faced criticism from media back home amid an inconsistent season that has seen her fail to advance beyond the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam and replace her coach.

“I think that’s the first time in my life I have something like that after a ‌victory but it hasn’t been easy you know,” said Swiatek. “I’m happy that I kept my composure, kept my focus, and I keep growing every month no matter what the challenges and I’m super proud I could win this one.”

The Pole was sharp and fast on the hard court in Toronto while Kazakhstan’s Rybakina was her own enemy for much of the evening.

Rybakina, the world number two, was broken twice in an opening set that also saw Swiatek save two break points to take ⁠command of the match. The first set was marred by 12 unforced errors ⁠for 27-year-old Rybakina, who struggled to strike the ball cleanly.

The Australian Open champion could not weaponise her serve either, with just one ace in the match, and Swiatek broke her again in the second set to take a 3-2 lead.

Swiatek, 25, dropped ⁠the next game but closed out the final three with confidence, landing a clean strike on match point to end her title drought.