Swiatek edges Svitolina in gruelling semifinal to face Rybakina in Montreal's NBO final

Iga Swiatek is heading to the National Bank Open final after a resilient three-set win over Elina Svitolina on August 13, bouncing back from a second-set collapse to claim a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 victory.

Swiatek had commanded the opening set with precision hitting, then lost her way entirely in the second as Svitolina dismantled her game with a masterclass in breaking serve. But rather than dwell on the setback, Swiatek reset her focus heading into the third.

"It doesn't matter what happened in the second, I know what to do in the third, and I just needed to follow that," Swiatek said post-match. The strategy worked: she refound her rhythm and converted the decisive set, holding serve all but once and breaking Svitolina's twice to seal the match in just over two hours.

She'll now face world No. 2 Elena Rybakina in Friday's final. Rybakina claimed her semifinal Wednesday night against No. 4 Coco Gauff with a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 victory, marking her third three-set win in four days. Running on little sleep after a marathon match against Naomi Osaka on Tuesday, Rybakina overwhelmed Gauff in the final two sets with commanding serving: five aces, just one double fault, and breaks in four of Gauff's service games. Gauff, who had the benefit of a bye after Belinda Bencic withdrew injured, couldn't match Rybakina's intensity down the stretch.

The NBO final will be played at Montreal's National Bank Open, the marquee WTA event on the city's calendar.