The short version
- Iga Swiatek defeated Elena Rybakina in straight sets to win her first WTA title of the season and return to the top five rankings.
- Ben Shelton won back-to-back Canadian Open titles, becoming the first player since 2016 to win the event without losing a set.
- Both champions cited mental resilience and recent improvements in their games as key factors following earlier tournament disappointments.
Iga Swiatek captured her first WTA title of the season on Thursday by defeating Elena Rybakina in straight sets at the Canadian Open final in Toronto. The victory marks a significant turnaround for the six-time Grand Slam champion, who had struggled to find consistent success earlier in the year. By winning 6-2, 6-3, Swiatek secured her 26th career title and will return to the top five of the world rankings following this triumph.
The match lasted one hour and fifteen minutes, with Swiatek demonstrating superior control throughout both sets. Rybakina, the Australian Open champion and world number two, faced difficulties in the opening set, committing twelve unforced errors. Swiatek broke the Kazakh player’s serve twice while also saving two break points of her own to close out the first set comfortably.
In the second set, Rybakina managed to take an early 2-1 lead but could not maintain momentum. Swiatek won five of the final six games to seal the victory. Throughout the match, Rybakina recorded only one ace and four double faults, hitting just thirteen winners while making twenty-three unforced errors in total. She was unable to break Swiatek’s serve after the initial set.
Swiatek acknowledged the difficulty of her recent campaign, noting that the past several months had been challenging. Her results at major tournaments this year included a quarter-final exit at the Australian Open, where she lost to Rybakina, followed by fourth-round and third-round departures at the French Open and Wimbledon, respectively. This victory provides crucial momentum ahead of the US Open, which begins later this month.
The Polish player emphasized her focus on personal growth and technical adjustments despite facing daily criticism online. She expressed relief and happiness at being able to ignore external opinions and concentrate on improving her game. The win in Toronto is particularly meaningful as it ends a long wait for a title and validates her efforts to refine her play style during a period of uncertainty.
On the men’s side, Ben Shelton achieved a historic victory by winning back-to-back Canadian Open titles. The fifth seed defeated fellow American Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) in an all-American final. This matchup marked the first all-US final at the ATP Masters 1000 level since Andy Roddick beat Mardy Fish in Cincinnati in 2003.
Shelton’s performance was notable for its consistency; he is the first player since Novak Djokovic in 2016 to win the Canadian Open without dropping a set. Additionally, he became the first player since Rafael Nadal in 2019 to successfully defend his title at this tournament. The twenty-three-year-old’s achievement comes after a disappointing stretch of results earlier in the season.
Prior to this week, Shelton had faced setbacks including a first-round exit at Wimbledon and a second-round defeat at Roland Garros. He also managed only one win across his first four Masters 1000 events of the year. However, his dominant performance in Montreal highlighted significant improvements in his mental toughness and work ethic.
Shelton credited his success to the hard work he has put into his training and his ability to maintain focus under pressure. Going through the draw without losing a set demonstrated his resilience after earlier struggles. The victory adds to his growing list of seven singles titles on the ATP Tour, reinforcing his status as a rising force in men’s tennis.
Elsewhere in the tournament landscape, Great Britain’s Katie Boulter earned her first career win at the Cincinnati Open by defeating American Katie Volynets 7-5, 0-6, 6-4 in the first round. At thirty years old, Boulter secured her first victory since June and will face sixth seed Linda Noskova, the Wimbledon champion, in the second round.
Sources behind this briefing
Go to the original reporting
- BBC Sport↗Swiatek answers critics by ending long wait for title
