Coco Gauff Out as Rybakina Rallies Past Her in National Bank Open Semifinal

Elena Rybakina rallied from a set down to defeat Coco Gauff 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 in the National Bank Open women’s semifinal at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto in the early hours of Thursday, August 13, 2026. The second-seeded Kazakh ended fourth-seeded Gauff’s tournament run and booked a final against Iga Swiatek, who had earlier beaten Elina Svitolina in three sets on the same rain-delayed night session.

Editor’s note: This article draws on reporting from The Associated Press, Reuters, WTA Tour, Sportsnet, and Al Jazeera, August 12–13, 2026.

Match at a glance

Detail	Information
Competition	National Bank Open — WTA 1000 (Toronto)
Round	Women’s singles semifinal
Date	Wednesday night into early Thursday, August 13, 2026
Venue	Sobeys Stadium, Toronto, Canada
Final score	Elena Rybakina 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 Coco Gauff
Seeds	Rybakina [2] vs. Gauff [4]
Next	Rybakina vs. Swiatek [7] — final, Thursday night

Rybakina closed out Gauff just before 1 a.m. local time to end the rain-delayed night session. In the first semifinal of the evening, seventh-seeded Swiatek outlasted ninth-seeded Svitolina 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, breaking Svitolina’s serve at love for a 5-3 lead in the decider before converting on her second match point. That match also began about an hour late because of rain.

How Rybakina turned it around

Gauff took the opening set 7-5 and looked in control early in a rematch of their only previous meeting — also in Toronto, where the American won in three sets in 2022. But Rybakina shifted gears in the second set, breaking Gauff twice to level the contest at one set apiece.

The third set was more one-sided. Rybakina won 6-2, leaning on her first serve and imposing her 6-foot frame from the baseline. Gauff, who had not dropped a set in Toronto before the semifinal, could not find the same rhythm she had shown through the quarterfinals.

Rybakina’s path to the final has followed a familiar pattern at this tournament. She came back from deficits in multiple matches, including a quarterfinal win over Naomi Osaka and a fourth-round escape against Liudmila Samsonova when she was down 0-3 in the third set. Against Gauff, the comeback arrived one set later — but with the same result.

Gauff’s Toronto run ends

For Coco Gauff, the loss stops a strong hard-court summer at the doorstep of a first title in 2026. The 2023 US Open champion reached the semifinal in Miami and the final in Rome earlier this season, and her Wimbledon campaign ended in a tight semifinal defeat. Toronto represented her 16th WTA 1000 semifinal and a chance to break a year-long title drought.

Gauff had advanced to the final four without playing a ball in her quarterfinal after Belinda Bencic withdrew with a hip injury — extra rest that, in the end, could not offset Rybakina’s surge across the final two sets.

The American is still building toward the US Open, which begins later in August. She has spoken about adding tactical layers to her game this year, and her form in Toronto had reinforced that she remains among the tour’s top contenders on hard courts. Wednesday’s result, though, leaves her searching for answers on how to close out big matches against elite opponents in the closing weeks of the North American swing.

Rybakina and Swiatek set up a heavyweight final

Rybakina will face Iga Swiatek on Thursday night for the National Bank Open title. Swiatek, a four-time Grand Slam champion, has been in strong form and is chasing a 25th career WTA singles title according to tournament reporting.

For Rybakina, the final caps a season that already includes the 2026 Australian Open title and a victory at Stuttgart. Wednesday’s win was her 14th career singles title and continued a run in which she has repeatedly found extra gear when pushed deep into tournaments.

The Kazakh was a semifinalist at the National Bank Open in Montreal last year, losing to eventual champion Victoria Mboko after holding match point. A title in Toronto would add a Masters 1000 crown to a résumé that already features Wimbledon (2022) and the Australian Open.

Head-to-head history in Toronto

Year	Round	Winner	Score
2022	Round of 32	Coco Gauff	Three sets (tiebreak in decider)
2026	Semifinal	Elena Rybakina	5-7, 6-2, 6-2

Before Wednesday, Gauff and Rybakina had met just once in four years despite often landing in the same half of draws. Rybakina had previewed the matchup as a difficult test, citing Gauff’s fighting spirit and serve. The rematch flipped the script from 2022 — this time, Rybakina absorbed an early setback and controlled the closing frames.

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Discussion

Rybakina’s Toronto comeback against Gauff sets up one of the WTA’s most anticipated finals of the summer — but both players will leave the semifinal with different questions.

1. Can Gauff convert her deep runs into a title before the US Open?

She has reached multiple finals and semifinals in 2026 without lifting a trophy. Does Wednesday’s loss point to a specific tactical gap against top-five opponents, or is it simply part of a long season still trending upward?

2. Does Rybakina’s comeback record in Toronto give her an edge over Swiatek in the final?

She has won three three-set matches at this event and just dismantled Gauff after dropping the opener. Swiatek is a different challenge — but is Rybakina’s current form under pressure the kind that travels into a championship match?

Share your read on the semifinal and who you expect to lift the National Bank Open trophy.