TORONTO – The atmosphere at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers was electric as the chants of "Iga, Iga, Iga!" echoed through the venue after just three points into the match. Iga Swiatek, the seventh-seeded Polish tennis star, made a triumphant return to form, marking her first WTA tournament title of the year. Swiatek dominated the final, defeating world No. 2 Elena Rybakina in a decisive 6-2, 6-3 victory.
Throughout the 2026 season, Swiatek had struggled to find her rhythm, not having participated in any finals prior to this week's competition. Her last title came at the Cincinnati Open in 2025, making this victory especially rewarding for the six-time Grand Slam champion. The Canadian WTA Tour 1000 event served as the perfect stage for her resurgence, where she claimed her fourth top-20 victory of the week, the most she has achieved in a single tournament since her success at the 2024 French Open.
The final was notable for being the first NBO women’s final featuring multiple Grand Slam champions since 1999, presenting an exciting showdown between two of the best players on the circuit. Swiatek took control early against Rybakina, known for her powerful hitting. The match began with Rybakina, a two-time Grand Slam champion, struggling with her serve, including a double fault on the last two points of the first game, giving Swiatek an early lead.
As the first set progressed, Swiatek capitalized on Rybakina's mistakes. Despite Rybakina’s reputation as powerful player, she was unable to convert key opportunities during the set, missing two break-point chances by sending the ball long. This inconsistency was costly; Swiatek minimized her errors, ultimately outplaying Rybakina, who recorded 12 unforced errors compared to Swiatek's three in the first set.
In the second set, Swiatek maintained her momentum by breaking Rybakina’s serve again, establishing a 3-2 lead. From there, she displayed impressive control throughout the remainder of the match, finishing with an impressive 4-for-5 conversion rate on break points, culminating the match by breaking Rybakina’s serve yet again.
Rybakina encountered additional challenges during the week, with four of her first five matches extending to three sets, resulting in an exhausting total match time of 11 hours and 25 minutes on the court. In contrast, Swiatek endured a lighter schedule, which likely contributed to her stamina and performance in the final. Moreover, Rybakina’s semifinal match against Coco Gauff concluded just before 1 a.m. ET on Thursday, leaving her with limited time to recover for the evening final.
Throughout her career, Swiatek has proven to be one of the most consistent players on the WTA Tour this decade. Thus, her challenges during the first half of the 2026 season have been an anomaly in her remarkable career trajectory. This recent triumph solidified her status as the only player to reach a WTA Tour 1000 final for six consecutive seasons.
With her victory at the National Bank Open, Swiatek takes home a prize of $1.085 million. Meanwhile, Rybakina, despite her impressive performance throughout the tournament, will leave with $565,920 after narrowly missing out on securing her third title of the year.
