‘No looking back’: Gruelling wins from Swiatek, Rybakina set stage for NBO final

After swiftly and confidently steering the opening set of Wednesday’s semifinal match against Elina Svitolina, then just as suddenly losing her way in the second, the world No. 8 wasn’t about to dwell on the past — however recent it was.

“It's not going to be easy,” she told herself ahead of the third set. “But if I want to win a semifinal, where you know your opponent is playing good, I need to step up, and there's no looking back.”

So, she fixed her gaze forward and righted her path en route to a resilient 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 victory that saw her down, but never out.

“Like, you kind of start from the beginning when we start the third set,” said Swiatek post-match, affording herself a little time to reflect on her in-game headspace. “It doesn't matter what happened in the second, I know what to do in the third, and I just needed to follow that.”

Now, Swiatek is looking forward to the final of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, where she’ll take on world No. 2 Elena Rybakina, whose semifinal victory over No. 4 Coco Gauff late Wednesday night required some resilience of her own.

When studied separately, Wednesday’s star-studded semifinal showdowns presented some fascinating chess matches between players well-suited to their respective opponent’s game. The opening bout between Swiatek and No. 9 Svitolina featured two competitors that appeared to battle not just one another but themselves, too. They each set and overcame a series of small mental obstacles on their own side of the court while battling the contender at the other. Shots Swiatek was making in the first simply weren’t there in the second. The reverse was true for Svitolina, who took command on the middle frame with a masterclass in breaking serve to dismantle Swiatek’s game — but not her resolve.

“I knew I can do it, because I did it in the first set. I had it in me, I just needed to find the right rhythm,” Swiatek explained. “I'm happy that I was patient enough to do that and didn't get disappointed or didn't give up, and just found a way to play better in the third.”

While Swiatek’s win over Svitolina was defined by long rallies — fitting, for a contest that took over two hours to resolve — between two of the game’s best precision-hitters, the battle that followed it was more about quick strikes and power and grabbing hold of the service game.

Running on little sleep after Tuesday night’s marathon match against Naomi Osaka, Rybakina defeated Gauff 5-7, 6-2, 6-2. It marked Rybakina’s third three-set victory in four days.

Though Gauff was the better-rested opponent Wednesday, having won her quarterfinal contest by default following Belinda Bencic’s injury withdrawal, it was Rybakina who took over as the match went deeper into the night. Rybakina’s commanding serve was on full display Wednesday, throwing down five aces against Gauff (who had three of her own) and just one double fault (Gauff committed six). She held serve all but once, and broke Gauff’s four times to overcome an early deficit following a closely contested first set. It was all Rybakina from that point on.

"She served really well the first set," Rybakina said of Gauff post-match.