Amanda Anisimova of the USA celebrates her win over Emma Navarro of the USA in semifinal action at the National Bank Open in Toronto on Sunday August 11, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
TORONTO – Amanda Anisimova is into the final at the National Bank Open.
The 22-year-old upset fellow American and No. 8 seed Emma Navarro 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 on Sunday to advance in more windy conditions at Sobeys Stadium.
Defending champion and third-seed Jessica Pegula of the U.S. faced No. 14 Diana Shnaider of Russia in the late semifinal for the other spot in Monday’s title match.
The aggressive Anisimova, ranked 132nd on the WTA Tour after taking an eight-month mental break away from tennis in 2023, picked up 12 of the first 13 points against the world No. 15 to take a 3-0 lead in the first set.
Navarro started to respond, but Anisimova blasted an ace to help her go up 5-2 before holding serve.
With both players taking part in their first WTA 1000 semifinal – one level below the sport’s four majors – Anisimova went up a break at 2-1 in the second set following a long service game.
Navarro broke back twice to go up 4-2 and held serve to grab another game before Anisimova called for a trainer to tape a blister on her left foot. The 23-year-old Navarro kept up the pressure to take the set with another break.
Anisimova, who made the French Open semifinals in 2019 at age 17, went from down love-40 to deuce with Navarro serving tied 1-1 in the third set before finally breaking her opponent for a 2-1 advantage.
Anisimova picked up another break to go up 5-2 when Navarro sent her shot into the net. She sealed the match on serve with an ace to grab a spot in the final at Canada’s national championship.
Pegula, ranked No. 6 in the world, owned a 15-2 all-time record at the NBO entering Sunday, including last year’s victory that followed back-to-back semifinal appearances at the US$3.2-million event.
Shnaider, the tour’s 24th-ranked player, upset No. 1 seed Coco Gauff of the U.S. in the third round before topping No. 6 seed and compatriot Liudmila Samsonova in the quarterfinals for a pair of top-15 victories in Toronto.
Play at York University on Toronto’s northern boundary, which had presented tricky conditions much of the week with swirling winds that gusted to more than 40 km/h Sunday, was delayed a little over an hour by rain just prior to when Navarro and Anisimova were scheduled to first hit the court at 1 p.m. ET.
Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., and younger sister Bianca met Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe in one of two doubles semifinals.
The other saw another all-American matchup with Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk taking on Sofia Kenin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 11, 2024.
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