Svitolina completes stunning turnaround to set up Swiatek semi-final rematch in Toronto
Elina Svitolina completed a stirring comeback win over Ekaterina Alexandrova and Iga Swiatek eased past Diana Shnaider to set up a Toronto semi-final rematch of their Rome clash in May, with Svitolina looking to add a third win in a row over the Pole and Swiatek chasing her first final of the season.
Elina Svitolina, Toronto 2026 | © Zuma / PsNewz
Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, the No. 9 seed, and Pole Iga Swiatek, the No. 7 seed, both reached the semi-finals of the National Bank Open, setting up a rematch of their Rome semi-final from May and adding another chapter to one of the tour’s most competitive modern rivalries.
Swiatek leads their head-to-head 4-3, but Svitolina has won the last two meetings between them, both this season, at Indian Wells and in Rome.
Svitolina beat Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova, the No. 16 seed, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 on Tuesday night, producing one of the most complete turnarounds of the tournament after dropping the first set. She won 12 of the final 15 games to close it out, a run that carried her to her fourth WTA 1000 semi-final of the season and her 16th at this level in her career.
It was also her first Canadian Open semi-final since she won the title outright in 2017, and just her third appearance in the final four of this event. Svitolina, ranked No. 9, had beaten American Amanda Anisimova, the No. 8 seed, 6-2, 6-4, Austrian Anastasia Potapova, seeded No. 24, 6-1, 6-1, and Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-4 in the previous rounds.
At 31, and with the win moving her past Jessica Pegula for the most match wins on tour this season, Svitolina is putting together arguably her best season in years. Alexandrova, ranked No. 19, had reached the fourth round by beating top seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4, Australian Talia Gibson 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 and Colombian Camila Osorio 6-3, 7-6 (4).
First final of 2026 for Swiatek?
Swiatek’s route to the last four was far more direct. She beat Russian Diana Shnaider, the No. 15 seed, 6-2, 6-1 on Monday night in what she and her team have described as some of her steadiest tennis of the season, reaching her first Canadian Open semi-final since 2023 and her second at the event overall.
It was also her second WTA 1000 semi-final of 2026 and, remarkably, her 23rd at this level in her career, a tally that equals compatriot Agnieszka Radwanska for the fourth-most since the WTA 1000 format was introduced in 2009. Only Simona Halep (29), Serena Williams (26) and Victoria Azarenka (24) have reached more.
Swiatek, ranked No. 8, had beaten Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, the No. 10 seed, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, Swiss Viktorija Golubic 6-2, 6-1 and Czech Sara Bejlek 6-0, 6-3 earlier in the tournament. Shnaider, ranked No. 17, had defeated American Jessica Pegula, the No. 3 seed, 6-3, 6-3, No. 17 seed Anna Kalinskaya 6-3, 6-3 and Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 to reach the fourth round.
Swiatek is now one win away from reaching her first final of the year, while Svitolina, the last woman to lift the Toronto trophy on home ground for this event’s rotation, will be looking to end a run that has already outlasted three seeded opponents. Whichever way the head-to-head history points, this one is set up to be decided on current form.
