Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina will meet in the Toronto final after both players battled through difficult semi-finals on Wednesday.
Swiatek, the seventh seed, defeated Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 to reach her first final of the season.
The Polish former world number one made a strong start, racing into a 4-0 lead in the opening set. Svitolina fought back and comfortably took the second set, but Swiatek raised her level again in the decider.
Swiatek broke Svitolina to love for a 5-3 lead before serving out the match to secure her place in the final.
“Against Elina it’s always tough, so I’m happy that I won this one,” Swiatek said.
The victory gives Swiatek a 5-3 record against Svitolina and puts her into her first final since winning the title in Seoul almost a year ago.
Svitolina, who won the Canadian tournament in 2017, was hoping to reach another WTA 1000 final after winning in Rome and finishing runner-up in Dubai earlier this season.
Rybakina also had to come from behind to book her place in the final, defeating fourth seed Coco Gauff 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.
The Kazakh player lost a tight opening set but responded strongly, winning the second set 6-2 before completing the comeback in the deciding set.
Rybakina had already needed three sets to overcome Naomi Osaka in the quarter-finals and has now reached another final following her victories at the Australian Open and Stuttgart earlier this season.
The result also moves her closer to world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the rankings, with the US Open beginning on 31 August.
Rybakina said she was pleased with the way she responded after losing the first set.
“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,” she said.
The final will bring together two of the leading players on the women’s tour, with Swiatek aiming to claim her first title of 2026 and Rybakina looking to add another trophy to her collection.
Both players have had to overcome tough opponents and come from behind during their runs in Toronto, setting up an intriguing final ahead of the US Open.
