Elena Rybakina beats Coco Gauff to reach Canadian Open final

TORONTO–Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina delivered another gutsy comeback, beating fourth-seeded Coco Gauff 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 to reach Thursday’s final at the Canadian Open in Toronto.

She set up a title showdown with Iga Swiatek, who outlasted Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 on Wednesday in the hard court warm-up for the US Open.

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Former world number one Swiatek, seeded seventh, is in her first final of the year, having last lifted a trophy in Seoul almost a year ago.

Rybakina, who also rallied from a set down to beat Naomi Osaka in the quarter-finals, is on the cusp of her third title of the season after her triumph in Melbourne and a trophy in Stuttgart.

Her Canadian run has her inching closer to No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the rankings as the August 31 start of the US Open approaches.

Kazakhstan’s Rybakina polished off the victory over Gauff shortly before 1 a.m. local time, taking advantage as the American began to falter in the face of pressure on her serve.

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“She served really well in the first set,” Rybakina said. “It was pretty close the first one, and then I feel like on my serve I rushed a little bit in the end.

“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.”

While Rybakina had to battle past Osaka to reach the semis, Gauff had advanced via a walkover. But Rybakina said the hard work may have helped her.

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“I guess the adrenaline and so many hours on the court helped a bit,” she said. “In the third set also, few moments I felt like I was just swinging, and some crazy return at 30-all, and it went my way.

“So, I got my opportunities, I took them.”