Swiatek vs Rybakina - 23:59 CET
Match news and form
Iga Swiatek broke through the barrier to defeat Elina Svitolina, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, to reach her maiden final of the season. At the same time, she avenged her losses to the Ukrainian in Indian Wells and Rome, and recorded her second three-set victory of the tournament.
While defeating Sara Bejlek, Viktorija Golubic and Diana Shnaider in straight sets, Swiatek needed the scenic route against Marta Kostyuk to avenge her recent Roland Garros defeat. This is turning out to be a much‑needed couple of weeks for the Pole who has dropped to No. 8 in the rankings.
Swiatek arrived in Toronto having reached only one semi-final all season, a shocking state of affairs for a six-time Grand Slam champion. Furthermore, she had failed to win multiple matches in four of her last seven tournaments and even lost to Alexandra Eala in her title defence at Wimbledon.
Elena Rybakina extends her rich vein of form on hard courts after rallying against Coco Gauff in the semi-finals. The World No. 2 fought back strongly to defeat the former US Open and French Open champion, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, and picked up her fourth three-set victory of the tournament from a total of five rounds.
Rybakina also needed to dig deep against Daria Kasatkina, Liudmila Samsonova, and Naomi Osaka earlier in the tournament, with her lone straight‑set win coming against Ann Li. She won't care for the long and windy path after landing in Toronto with only four wins in her last four outings.
The Kazakh has already won more than two dozen matches on hard courts this season, leading to her second career Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and a runner-up finish at Indian Wells. It's an extension of her late-2025 form, which also resulted in titles at Ningbo and the WTA Finals.
Head-to-head
The rivalry is tied at 6-6. Rybakina has equalised their head-to-head after prevailing in their last two encounters: at the WTA Finals in Riyadh last year and the Australian Open quarter-final in January.
Stats & facts
Swiatek has a vicious 25-5 career finals record, including a decent 11-2 at the WTA 1000 level.
Swiatek has won her last seven hard-court finals, ranging from Warsaw in 2023 to Seoul last year.
Rybakina has a near‑even 13-12 track record in championship rounds and 2-4 at the WTA 1000 level.
Rybakina has only ever won one title in North America (2023 Indian Wells).
Betting analysis
Their past suggests nothing can separate the multiple-time Grand Slam champions in this titanic contest. Swiatek will have fresher legs than Rybakina, but the latter has the momentum of winning titles this season. In the end, the prospect of a deciding set shines brighter than anything else going in.
Swiatek in 2026
Best results: Toronto (final)
Best results on outdoor hard courts: Toronto (final)
Record: 28-12
Record in the last 10 matches: 7-3
Record on outdoor hard courts: 17-6
Record against top-10 players: 2-5 (career 55-32)
Record in WTA 1000 finals: 0-0 (career 11-2)
Record in finals: 0-0 (career 25-5)
Grand Slams: Australian Open (quarter-finals), French Open (round of 16), Wimbledon (round of 32)
Swiatek at the Canadian Open
Career record: 15-4
Best result: Final (Toronto 2026)
Last year's result (Montreal): Round of 16
Record in finals: 0-0
Preparation: None
Road to the final: Bye, Bejlek (6-0, 6-3), Golubic (6-2, 6-1), (10) Kostyuk (3-6, 6-1, 6-2), (15) Shnaider (6-2, 6-1), (9) Svitolina (6-3, 1-6, 6-3)
Rybakina in 2026
Best results: Stuttgart, Australian Open (title); Indian Wells (final)
Best results on outdoor hard courts: Australian Open (title); Indian Wells (final)
Record: 39-11
Record in the last 10 matches: 7-3
Record on outdoor hard courts: 26-5
Record against top-10 players: 8-3 (career 39-30)
Record in WTA 1000 finals: 0-1 (career 2-4)
Record in finals: 2-1 (career 13-12)
Grand Slams: Australian Open (title), French Open (round of 64), Wimbledon (round of 32)
Rybakina at the Canadian Open
Career record: 13-4
Best result: Final (Toronto 2026)
Last year's result (Montreal): Semi-finals
Record in finals: 0-0
Preparation: None
Road to the final: Bye, Kasatkina (6-3, 5-7, 6-4), (28) Li (6-2, 7-5), Samsonova (6-4, 4-6, 6-4), (11) Osaka (4-6, 7-6, 6-4), (4) Gauff (5-7, 6-2, 6-2)
WTA Toronto: Thursday's schedule | Results
Shelton vs Nakashima - Friday 02:00 CET
Match news and form
Ben Shelton won the biggest title of his career at the Canadian Open in Toronto last year, and he has once again managed to raise his level and get the best out of himself in Canada this year. In Montreal, particularly in the last two rounds, he dominated Jakub Mensik and Learner Tien, losing just nine games across those two matches to move one step away from reclaiming the Canadian Masters title.
That would be a significant achievement, as Shelton has won six tour-level titles in his career, three before this year, but has never successfully defended a title or won the same tournament twice. A successful campaign in Montreal has been a major boost for the world No. 10 Ben, who has not only recouped most of the points from last year to protect his top-10 status from the likes of Rafael Jodar and Tien, but also appears to be turning his season around.
His performances had largely been underwhelming this year, often well below his best level and regularly involving deciding-set battles. That has changed in Montreal, where he has yet to drop a set and has won five consecutive matches in straight sets after arriving on the back of four successive deciding-set battles.
Brandon Nakashima has been a consistent performer over the last two years, reflected in his steady presence inside the ATP top 50. However, he has struggled to convert that consistency into major results, but that appears to be changing this summer.
He reached the semi-finals at Queen's, where he lost to Francisco Cerundolo in three sets, before making another semi-final run in Washington two weeks ago, where he fell to Taylor Fritz in three sets.
Now in Montreal, he has broken through that semi-final barrier, reaching the biggest final of his career after upsetting the in-form Jodar in straight sets. The run has also lifted him to a career-high No. 22 in the live rankings.
Head-to-head
Shelton leads 5-0. Shelton has established an unassailable head-to-head advantage, winning all five of their previous meetings and conceding just one set in the process.
Stats & facts
Shelton is looking to become the first player to defend the Canadian Open title since Rafael Nadal in 2018 and 2019.
Shelton holds a strong 6-2 career record in tour-level finals.
Nakashima is 1-3 in tour-level finals and is appearing in his first title clash against a top-10 opponent.
Nakashima has lost eight of his nine meetings with top-10 opponents at Masters-level tournaments.
Betting analysis
Shelton appears to have found his best form in the last two rounds, and that, combined with his greater big-stage experience, which often brings out the best in him, should help him see off Nakashima, who is also looking extremely dangerous and appears to be playing the best tennis of his career.
The main concern for Shelton is the minor injury he suffered in the second set of his semi-final, when he ran into the courtside LED screen, injuring his finger and elbow and eventually requiring medical attention.
Shelton in 2026
Best results: Stuttgart, Munich, Dallas (title)
Best results on outdoor hard courts: Montreal (final)
Record: 32-12
Record in the last 10 matches: 7-3
Record on outdoor hard courts: 13-5
Record against top-50 players: 15-5 (career 62-53)
Record in ATP Masters 1000 finals: 0-0 (career 1-0)
Record in finals: 3-0 (career 6-2)
Grand Slams: Australian Open (quarter-finals), French Open (round of 64), Wimbledon (round of 128)
Shelton at the Canadian Open
Career record: 13-2
Best result: title (Toronto 2025)
Last year's result (Toronto): Title
Record in finals: 1-0
Preparation: Washington (quarter-finals)
Road to the final: Bye, Brooksby (6-3, 7-5), (31) Bergs (6-3, 6-2), (22) Fonseca (6-3, 7-6), (13) Mensik (6-3, 6-1), (12) Tien (6-2, 6-3)
Nakashima in 2026
Best results: Brisbane (final)
Best results on outdoor hard courts: Brisbane (final)
Record: 27-15
Record in the last 10 matches: 8-2
Record on outdoor hard courts: 17-7
Record against top-10 players: 2-4 (career 4-21)
Record in ATP Masters 1000 finals: 0-0 (career 0-0)
Record in finals: 0-1 (career 1-3)
Grand Slams: Australian Open (round of 128), French Open (round of 32), Wimbledon (round of 64)
Nakashima at the Canadian Open
Career record: 8-4
Best result: Final (Montreal 2026)
Last year's result (Toronto): Round of 32
Record in finals: 0-0
Preparation: Washington (semi-finals)
Road to the final: Bye, Altmaier (6-2, 6-1), Droguet (4-6, 6-2, 7-5), (23) Rinderknech (7-6, 5-7, 7-5), (19) Darderi (6-2, 6-3), (20) Jodar (7-6, 6-4)
