Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina booked their places in the Canadian hard-court final after defeating Elina Svitolina and Coco Gauff respectively, while Ben Shelton and Brandon Nakashima advanced to an all-American Masters final.
Seventh-seeded Swiatek, a former world No. 1 and six-time Grand Slam champion, defeated Svitolina 6-3, 0-6, 6-3 in a rain-delayed semi-final to reach her first final of the year. The Polish star raced to a 4-0 lead before Svitolina fought back to take the second set. Swiatek regained control in the decider, breaking her opponent to love at 5-3 before serving out the match.
The win improved Swiatek’s head-to-head record against Svitolina to 5-3. The Ukrainian, the 2017 Canadian champion, had been seeking her third WTA 1000 final of the season.
Rybakina, meanwhile, rallied from a set down to beat fourth-seeded Gauff 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. The Australian Open champion, who also came from behind to defeat Naomi Osaka in the quarter-finals, is chasing her third title of the season after victories in Melbourne and Stuttgart.
Rybakina completed the match shortly before 1am local time, taking advantage of Gauff’s struggles under pressure. Her run has also brought her closer to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the rankings ahead of the US Open, beginning Aug 31.
In Montreal, defending champion Ben Shelton overcame Learner Tien 6-2, 6-3 despite crashing into a backcourt barrier and requiring treatment for an injured left elbow and fingers.
Shelton, who won last year’s Toronto Masters, will face fellow American Brandon Nakashima in the final. Nakashima defeated Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 to reach his first ATP Masters final.
The final will be the first all-American Masters title clash since Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick met in Cincinnati in 2003.
Shelton is seeking his fourth title of the season and has won all five of his previous meetings with Nakashima. Nakashima, meanwhile, will contest the biggest final of his career after previously reaching only 250-level title matches.
