Amanda Anisimova, of the United States, returns to Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during women's singles final action at the National Bank Open, in Toronto, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
TORONTO – Jessica Pegula continued her domination north of the border.
The No. 3 seed and sixth-ranked WTA Tour player topped Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 to defend her National Bank Open women’s singles title in Monday’s all-American final.
Pegula, from nearby Buffalo, N.Y., also won last year’s Canadian tennis championship in Montreal and improved her all-time record at the event to 17-2 in securing the sixth tournament victory of her career.
“So excited to be here with the trophy again,” she said. “I really wanted this one. I know everyone’s talking about my record and all this stuff, but it’s nice to be able to get through the week and to back it up.
“Just super excited “¦ an honour, really.”
Pegula is the first woman to repeat at Canada’s showcase event since Martina Hingis in 2000.
“I’ve always just played well here,” said the 30-year-old. “Especially Toronto, it’s nice. It’s so close to Buffalo, I had a lot of friends, family (in the stands). And my grandparents, my husband was able to come today.
“I don’t really get that at a lot of tournaments.”
Anisimova, who entered the week ranked 132nd as she continues her comeback after stepping away from the game for a mental health break last year, beat three top-20 players in Toronto, including No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals.
“Really thought I had it there after the second set, but she really stepped it up,” said Anisimova, who will wake up Tuesday at No. 49 in the rankings. “She was playing some amazing tennis. It was a very, very difficult match.
“I tried different game plans, but it didn’t work in my favour “¦ just going to try and learn from it.”
Monday’s match marked just the second time the final of a WTA 1000 event – one step below the sport’s four Grand Slams – has featured two Americans since the format was first introduced in 2009, with the only other instance coming in 2016 when Serena Williams defeated Madison Keys in Rome.
Pegula, who improved to 3-0 against Anisimova after also topping her on clay earlier this season, beat Liudmila Samsonova in last year’s final.
The daughter of Terry and Kim Pegula – owners of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and NHL’s Buffalo Sabres – picked up a break in Monday’s first game and led 5-3 when Anisimova double-faulted to go down a set in the wind at Sobeys Stadium.
Anisimova trailed love-40 in the second set before battling back to hold and then broke Pegula to go up 2-1 following a long rally.
The 22-year-old former French Open semifinalist from Freehold, N.J., then pushed ahead 5-2 with another break when Pegula committed a double fault, and held serve to hand her compatriot her first dropped set of the tournament.
Pegula held to open the third set and then broke Anisimova to go up 2-0. She then held again and broke Anisimova to move two points from the title.
Anisimova sent a return into the net to stretch Pegula’s lead to 5-0.
The relentless Pegula then served out for a 10th consecutive win in women’s singles at the Canadian Open – the most since Williams put up 14 from 2011 to 2014.
Monday marked the first time two American women have played for Canada’s national championship since Williams defeated Jennifer Capriati in 2001.
Anisimova said she had no idea how her return to competitive tennis would go when she first stepped back on the court in January at the Australian Open following an eight-month break.
“I put the work in, I kept my head down,” she said. “I tried to come back to the sport with more of a relaxed feeling – trying to enjoy each day as it comes and not being so serious about everything, because I think that takes away the joy from a lot of things.
“With that kind of approach to my everyday life, I think that’s helped me a lot.”
Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe faced the American duo of Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk in Monday’s doubles final.
Dabrowski, who captured mixed doubles bronze for Canada at the Paris Olympics with Montreal’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, also won the NBO doubles crown in 2021 with former partner Luisa Stefani of Brazil.
Dabrowski and Routliffe beat Dolehide and Krawczyk in last month’s Wimbledon semifinals before losing out to Katerina Siniakov of Czechia and Taylor Townsend of the U.S. in the title match.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2024.
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