Swiatek Sinks Svitolina to Set Up Rybakina Title Clash in Toronto

Iga Swiatek has reached her first final of the year, booking a spot in the Toronto title match against world number two Elena Rybakina. Swiatek overcame Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in a hard-fought three-set battle, winning 6-3, 1-6, 6-3. This victory marks Swiatek's fifth win against Svitolina in their head-to-head series. The match, delayed by rain, saw Swiatek take an early lead in the first set, but Svitolina fought back. Swiatek ultimately regrouped in the decisive third set to secure her place in the final.

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Against Elina it's always tough, so I'm happy that I won this one. 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.

"Against Elina it's always tough, so I'm happy that I won this one," Swiatek said after the match. "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." She added that adjusting the quality of her hitting was key to her comeback in the third set.

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Mostly I just wanted to adjust the quality. 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 that I was patient enough to do that and didn't get disappointed or didn't give up.

In the other semifinal, Elena Rybakina continued her strong performance by defeating fourth-seeded Coco Gauff 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. Rybakina, the Australian Open champion, has now won three titles this season and is closing in on the world number one ranking. She rallied from a set down against Gauff, capitalizing on opportunities as the American faltered under pressure.

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She served really well in the first set. It was pretty close the first one, and then I feel like on my serve I rushed a little bit in the end.

"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," Rybakina commented on her match against Gauff. She also noted that the adrenaline from previous tough matches might have contributed to her success. The final between Swiatek and Rybakina is set to be a compelling clash, serving as a key warm-up for the upcoming US Open.

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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.