By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Monday, August 12, 2024
Jessica Pegula beat Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 to successfully defend her Canadian Open crown and improve to 17-2 in Canada.
Photo credit: Vaughn Ridley/Getty
Darting to defend a crackling return, Jessica Pegula bent low and flicked a forehand winner down the line.
Even playing off her back foot, Pegula was a forward finisher in Toronto tonight.
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In the first all-American Canadian Open final since 2001, reigning champion Pegula defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 to capture her sixth career championship, including her second straight National Bank Open crown in Toronto.
The 30-year-old Pegula hit her way into history becoming the first woman to successfully defend the Canadian Open championship since legendary Hall of Famer Martina Hingis 24 years ago.
"Awesome, so excited to be here with the trophy again," Pegula told the media in Toronto. "I really wanted this one. I know everyone's like talking about my record and all this stuff, but it's nice to, yeah, to be able to get through the week and to back it up, so just super excited, I mean, an honor, really."
It is Pegula’s third WTA 1000 title, the first time she's successfully defended a championship, and signals a significant return to form after injuries stalled her earlier this season.
World No. 6 Pegula dropped just one set—the second set tonight—in tournament victories over Karolina Pliskova, Ashlyn Krueger, Peyton Stearns Diana Shnaider and Anisimova to improve to an impeccable 17-2 at the Canadian Open.
It was an up-and-down match for world No. 132 Anisimova, who was on the verge of being blown out down 3-6, 0-1, love-40 before she began landing heavy drives down the line to turn the second set around and force a decider against her friend and sometime practice partner.
Ultimately, Pegula’s sharper serving, skill transitioning from defense to offense and the fact she simply played much cleaner tennis in the decider were the keys for the defending champion in an 87-minute conquest.
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Still, it’s been a tremendous tournament for Anisimova.
The 2019 Roland Garros semifinalist scored straight-sets wins over Caroline Dolehide, Daria Kasatkina, Anna Kalinskaya and two-time Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka before beating Emma Navarro in a three-set semifinal. Anisimova has rocketed up the rankings from No. 132 last week to No. 49 in the live rankings.
"I really thought I had it there after the second set, but she really stepped it up, and she was playing some amazing tennis, it was a very, very difficult match out there today," Anisimova said. "I was trying my best, I tried different game plans, but it didn't work in my favor today, so just going to try and learn from it.
"I think it was a great experience and a great opportunity I had today to be in a final, so, yeah, I think that at the end of the day I can just take away that, you know, I played an amazing player, a top-3 player, I'm pretty sure, or top 5, and, yeah, I'm just going to go from there and build on this."
A probing return game is one of Pegula’s greatest weapons. Pegula broke serve four times tonight and served with confidence.
In her second straight Canadian Open final, Pegula set the tone with superb serving.
Pegula served 70 percent and won 16 of 17 points played on her serve, including a perfect 12 for 12 on first serve, in the opening set.
The blue hard court was covered nearly entirely in shade when Pegula slid her fourth ace down the T that helped her cap a love hold for a 6-3, 1-0 lead.
Unleashing a streak that saw her win 14 of 15 points in one stretch, Pegula earned triple break point in the second game of the second set.
Digging in, Anisimova denied all three break points then drew a couple of forehand errors snapping a slide to level the set.
That rousing hold fired Anisimova’s competitive engine.
Blasting some biting drives down the middle she earned double break point in the third game. Pegula ran down several drives to extend the point, but her drop shot sat up, Anisimova swooped in and spun a forehand down the line breaking for the first time to snatch a 2-1 lead.
"I thought I came out playing really well, as good as I could, serving as well as I possibly can, especially it was still a little breezy out there. Then that second, yeah, I had 40-Love, 1-0, 40-Love to break, and I lost that game, and the whole momentum just shifted," Pegula said. "I could feel it, and I knew it, and it's one of those things where I knew if I won that game, like I would have most of the momentum, and it was going to be hard, if I could just hold there and go up 3-0, that it was going to be tough for her to kind of come roaring back.
"At the same time, like, when you lose it, you kind of have to reset, and it was a pivotal moment, but I think at the end of the day I was able to reset in the third, which I knew I had to. Starting the third I just tried to pick up my energy a lot. I felt like I hit a little bit of a lull, it's hard when you start off the first set, I felt like I was playing so well, serving so well, that I didn't really have to do too much."
Relaxing amid the stress of her biggest final, Anisimova was driving through her shots with conviction, extending to 4-2.
The 22-year-old Anisimova showed scrambling skill flicking back a stretched forehand then improvising a one-handed backhand drop shot. That sequence helped her earn break point in the seventh game.
Feeling the stress, Pegula spit up her third double fault ceding the break and a 5-2 lead to Anisimova.
It was as if Anisimova flicked a freedom switch when she was down 3-6, 0-1, love-40 and found the flow. Serving for the set, Anisimova blocked a backhand volley to snatch the set—the first set Pegula dropped in the tournament—and force a decider.
For the second straight set, Pegula went up 1-0, love-40. This time, Anisimova double-faulted twice gifting the break and a 2-0 lead to the champion.
Buzzing through games, a sharp Pegula was pouncing all over Anisimova errors and turning threats into set-up shots. On the full stretch to fight off a return, Pegula flicked a forehand winner down the line holding for 5-0.
On her third championship point, Pegula forced the error to defend her title as Canadian Open queen for the second year in a row.