Elina Svitolina claimed her 9th tour title on Sunday as she defeated Caroline Wozniacki in the 2017 Rogers Cup 6-4, 6-0. For the Dane, the loss is yet another setback in a tournament final. She has been to scores of championship matches in 2017, but as of now she has not been able to seal the deal with a title. Wozniacki still projects to rise in the rankings on Monday and should be the World No. 5. Svitolina, with one of the biggest titles of her career, should be the World No. 4 and she now enters the picture when it comes to the World No. 1 ranking.

Svitolina now 9-2 in tournament finals

Svitolina certainly contrasts Wozniacki in terms of closing tournaments out. The Ukrainian has now been to 11 finals in her career and she is 9-2 in those championship matches. This isn't a player that buckles late in tournaments, she must have strong nerves for the big moments, and her fitness is clearly top notch. She previously beat Wozniacki in the Dubai final earlier this season.

If Svitolina remains in good condition following Toronto, then she is in next week's Cincinnati draw as the No. 5 seed in the tournament. That will afford her a first-round bye in the draw, a perk that will give her a chance to recover from her efforts in Toronto. Cincinnati's final will be played next Sunday and Svitolina will likely appear on Wednesday's order of play for women's singles.

World No. 1 ranking at stake in weeks ahead

There has rarely been a time in recent memory for WTA tennis like the current time. At present numerous players can look at staking a claim in the World No. 1 ranking as the US Open approaches. Karolina Pliskova is the current No. 1, but she has a ton of ranking points to defend in Cincinnati and New York combined.

Meanwhile, Angelique Kerber, the current World No. 3, does not appear poised to defend her US Open title.

Much has been made about Simona Halep's chances of getting to No. 1 and they certainly are real. However, Svitolina is more than just in the mix at the moment. The two players have tussled a bit in recent events with Svitolina getting the better of Halep on Saturday.

All of Wozniacki, Garbine Muguruza, and Johanna Konta could end up No. 1 with a solid month of tennis in the United States.

At this time, every match on the women's tour counts as there is not a lot of separation between the World No. 1 and the World No. 7 when you consider how big Cincinnati and New York are. Cincinnati will be played over the next week while the US Open starts on August 28th. There is also a small event in New Haven that will be played in between the two tournaments.
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