Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek secured her first WTA title of the season on Thursday with a straight-set victory over Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina in the Canadian Open final.
The six-time Grand Slam winner was cheered on by the crowd in Toronto as she beat world No. 2 Rybakina 6-2, 6-3.
As Australian Open champion Rybakina struggled in the opening set, 25-year-old Swiatek broke her serve twice while saving two break points of her own.
In the second set, Rybakina was unable to break world No. 8 Swiatek, who clinched her 26th career title in one hour and 15 minutes.
"It means so, so much to me because the past months were not easy," said Swiatek, who will return to the top five in the rankings following her first Canadian Open title.
Swiatek said it can be challenging to contend with external criticism while searching for her best form.
"I'm really happy that I kept focusing on growing, changing my game a little bit, improving despite all the opinions that many people have about me every day on the internet," she said.
