Iga Swiatek downs Elina Svitolina to book Toronto showdown with Elena Rybakina

[p]Australian Open champion [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rybakina-elena/UDzElXdm/"]Rybakina[/a] delivered another gutsy comeback, beating fourth-seeded [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gauff-coco/f5BXmEH6/"]Coco Gauff[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/gauff-c-f5BXmEH6/rybakina-e-UDzElXdm/?mid=vFGdhIkg"]5-7, 6-2, 6-2[/a] to reach Thursday's final in the hard court warm-up for the US Open.[/p][p]Former world number one [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/swiatek-iga/jNyZsXZe/"]Swiatek[/a], seeded seventh, is in her first final of the year, having last lifted a trophy in Seoul almost a year ago.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/tennis/svitolina-e-jyngIesG/swiatek-i-jNyZsXZe/?mid=AVALv4M8"]She improved to 5-3 against Svitolina[/a], who had narrowed their head-to-head record with two wins over the Polish star this year.[/p][embed guid="e380962c-e40c-4a6c-b880-4f6e92ab1714" url="https://x.com/WTA/status/2087730030105235913" social-type="twitter" /][p]In a match delayed more than an hour by rain, six-time major champion Swiatek raced to a 4-0 lead in the opening set.[/p][p]The Ukrainian made Swiatek work to serve it out, saving a pair of set points in the final game of the first.[/p][p]Energised, she raced through the second set before Swiatek rebounded in the third, breaking [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/monfils-elina/jyngIesG/"]Svitolina[/a] to love for a 5-3 lead before holding serve to secure the win.[/p][p][b]"Against Elina it's always tough, so I'm happy that I won this one,"[/b] said Swiatek.[/p][p]"Especially that I came back in the third set playing better. So, yeah, that's for sure a big improvement. I'm proud of myself."[/p][p]Svitolina, who won the Canadian crown in 2017, was seeking her third 1000 level final of the season after winning at Rome and finishing runner-up in Dubai.[/p][p]But she couldn't hang on as Swiatek upped her game again in the final set.[/p][p][b]"Mostly I just wanted to adjust the quality,"[/b] Swiatek said. [b]"Because tactics 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'm happy th[/b][b]at I was patient enough to do that and didn't get disappointed or didn't give up."[/b][/p][image alt="Match stats" id="8dce394f-5628-4335-b0d9-8535ef612293" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="6451efdc-fded-4f48-8824-8f5240e4db14" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]Rybakina, who also rallied from a set down to beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/osaka-naomi/MDM4BKiA/"]Naomi Osaka[/a] in the quarter-finals, is on the cusp of her third title of the season after her triumph in Melbourne and a trophy in Stuttgart.[/p][p]Her Canadian run has her inching closer to No. 1 [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sabalenka-aryna/vyhksgUB/"]Aryna Sabalenka[/a] in the rankings as the August 31 start of the US Open approaches.[/p][h2]Taking opportunities[/h2][p]Kazakhstan's Rybakina polished off the victory over Gauff shortly before 1 a.m. local time, taking advantage as the American began to falter in the face of pressure on her serve.[/p][p][b]"She served really well in the first set,"[/b] Rybakina said. [b]"It was pretty close the first one, and then I feel like on my serve I rushed a little bit in the end.[/b][/p][p]"I knew that I need to start straight away the second set well. I'm happy that I did a couple of good returns, and then things turned around."[/p][embed guid="eb9adc4e-c25c-424e-a2e8-dad8b9e7891c" url="https://x.com/WTA/status/2087768205624295677" social-type="twitter" /][p]While Rybakina had to battle past Osaka to reach the semis, Gauff had advanced via a walkover. But Rybakina said the hard work may have helped her.[/p][p]"I guess the adrenaline and so many hours on the court helped a bit," she said. [b]"In the third set also, few moments I felt like I was just swinging, and some crazy return at 30-all, and it went my way.[/b][/p][p]"So, I got my opportunities, I took them."[/p]