By the time Elena Rybakina finished speaking to fans at 1 a.m. in Toronto, she had logged more than 11 hours on court in the tournament. That cumulative grind set the stage for her semi-final win over fourth‑seeded Coco Gauff, 5‑7, 6‑2, 6‑2, at the National Bank Open.

“I don’t know. I feel like I stayed so many hours on the court that maybe some shots are just coming out from my racket. And also at important moments I got a bit lucky with the line on the return. I was just trying to fight. Guys, thank you so much for staying so late. It’s been a long day,” she said.

Rybakina’s path to the semi-final was relentless: 2h33m vs Daria Kasatkina, three sets against Liudmila Samsonova, and another 2h33m battle with Naomi Osaka. Against Osaka, she saved four break points at 3‑2 down in the decider, then closed with a string of aces. Her 15 aces paired with 72 unforced errors told the story of a grinding match. By the time she faced Gauff, no one in the draw had spent more time playing.

The last time Gauff and Rybakina met was at Toronto in 2022, another three‑set battle. “Last time we played was a battle, and practices are always close matches,” Rybakina said. “In the first set we were both playing well, but I rushed a little. I’m just glad I managed to win again in three sets.”

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Elena Rybakina Reflects on a Long Road Back to a Toronto Final

When reminded that she had narrowly missed Montreal’s final last summer, losing to 18‑year‑old home favorite Victoria Mboko, Rybakina reflected on finally reaching Toronto this year. Mboko went on to win the title, but Rybakina now feels proud of her resilience.

“Very proud. Also with the team, I think we did a great preparation. So now the most important is to just keep on going. No matter the result tomorrow, just try to enjoy. Keep on playing, keep on trying. Hopefully go deep on all the tournaments,” she said.

That preparation now faces its sternest test yet, with Rybakina set to meet world No. 8 Iga Swiatek in Thursday’s final. It will be their 13th meeting, with the head‑to‑head locked at 6‑6. Their most recent clash came in the Australian Open quarterfinals earlier this year, a straight‑sets win for Rybakina.

Regardless of the final’s outcome, Rybakina is guaranteed to move to world No. 1 in the Race to the WTA Finals standings. However, the victory will not guarantee her the No. 1 spot in the world rankings; she will fall just four points short of Aryna Sabalenka. The Kazakh missed her chance to overtake Sabalenka at Wimbledon, but now the gap is closer than ever.