World No. 2 Elena Rybakina begins her campaign in Toronto, where she has never progressed beyond the second round. Her opponent is Daria Kasatkina, who played a gruelling three-setter in the first round and has also never stayed long on the Canadian courts.
Daria Kasatkina
Kasatkina (20–15 this season, 7–6 on hard courts) has struggled at major tournaments. In her Toronto opener, she edged past Wang Xinyu (6:1, 6:7, 7:5) with great difficulty, expending plenty of energy. Daria's game is built on combination tennis, but her serve remains vulnerable: she was broken eight times in the first round and did not hit a single ace. Against hard-hitting opponents on a fast surface, she is severely lacking in power. She has played in Toronto four times and has exited the tournament as early as the second round on each occasion.
Elena Rybakina
The 27-year-old Rybakina (WTA No. 2) is enjoying a strong hard-court run (21–5). She won the Australian Open in 2026 and leads the tour for serving quality (289 aces). Arriving fresh for the Canadian swing after a break, Elena will rely on her biggest weapons: powerful groundstrokes off both wings that leave opponents little time to react on fast hard courts.
Daria Kasatkina vs Elena Rybakina Prediction
Rybakina leads the head-to-head 3:2, with their most recent meeting in the Abu Dhabi final ending in an easy win for Elena (6:1, 6:4). Toronto's fast hard courts completely favour Elena. Kasatkina's weak serve will be an easy target for the Kazakh player's aggressive return game. Rybakina will take control of the court from the outset and secure a straight-sets win.
