Iga Świątek Completes Long-Awaited Return to Form with National Bank Open Win
TORONTO — The “Iga, Iga, Iga” chants started after the third point of the match. They never stopped.On Thursday night at Sobeys Stadium, seventh-seeded Iga Świątek completed a long-awaited return to top form. Backed by a loud Polish contingent, she captured her first WTA title of 2026 with a dominant 6-2, 6-3 victory over second-seeded Elena Rybakina at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers.
Świątek Ends Title Drought in Toronto
A six-time Grand Slam champion, Świątek had struggled by her high standards this season. She had not reached a final in 2026 before this week, and her last tournament title came at the 2025 Cincinnati Open.
That all changed in Toronto. The win over Rybakina was Świątek’s fourth top-20 victory of the week — her most in a single tournament since she won the 2024 French Open. She also became the only player to reach a WTA 1000 final in each of the last six seasons.
How Świątek Controlled the Final
In the first National Bank Open women’s final between multiple Grand Slam champions since 1999, Świątek took control early against the harder-hitting Rybakina.Rybakina, the 2026 tour leader in aces and this year’s Australian Open champion, double-faulted on the final two points of the opening game to hand Świątek an early break. Another break gave the Pole a 5-2 lead in the first set.Rybakina created two break-point chances in the opening set but sent both returns long.
She finished the set with 12 unforced errors — nine more than Świątek.Świątek broke for a third time to lead 3-2 in the second set and never looked back. She converted four of five break points in the match and closed it out on Rybakina’s serve.
Fatigue Factor Favoured Świątek
Rybakina arrived in the final after a demanding week. Four of her first five matches went to three sets, and she spent 11 hours and 25 minutes on court — more than three hours longer than Świątek. Her semifinal win over Coco Gauff did not finish until nearly 1 a.m. ET on Thursday, leaving limited recovery time before the 6 p.m. final.
Prize Money and What’s Next
Świątek earned $1.085 million for the title. Rybakina collected $565,920 as runner-up after falling one win short of her third title of the year.The victory marks a significant boost in confidence for Świątek as she heads into the final stretch of the hard-court season and prepares for the US Open.
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