Pegula defends in Toronto for third WTA 1000 crown

No 3 seed Jessica Pegula defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 to win the WTA National Bank Open trophy at the Aviva Centre on Monday night.

The victory sees Pegula become the first woman since Martina Hingis in 1999-2000 to win the Canadian Open in back-to-back years, with the American also prevailing in 2023.

She is 17-2 overall in Canada, and moves to No 11 in the WTA Race to Riyadh off the back of the title, just 100 points short of eighth place. Heading into the week, Pegula was at No 20 in the Race, having had a rocky season so far.

“Physically it was tough, switching from the clay of the Olympics,” said Pegula after winning her third WTA 1000 title. “But I managed to feel better and better throughout the week.”

Pegula’s defence defuses Anisimova’s aggression

The Toronto WTA 1000 final was a classic case of aggression vs defence, with Pegula’s defence prevailing.

The world No 6 covered the court supremely, making just 12 unforced errors across the three-set match. Anisimova was far more errant, spraying 31 unforced errors.

While Pegula started fast and pulled away with the match in the third set, 22-year-old Anisimova did well to make a contest of the final in the second set.

She began by looking a little energy-sapped and unsure of herself, with blisters bothering her after a compact schedule in Toronto.

However, as Pegula’s first serve percentage dropped, Anisimova found her range and raced past her elder compatriot to win the second set.

Having already gained four top 20 wins in Toronto, the world No 132 was unable to claim a fifth, however, falling off the pace in the deciding set.

She moves back inside the world’s top 50, however, improving her ranking to No 49 in the world.

“This is a huge step in the right direction,” Anisimova said after the match.

“I’m proud of myself. I’ve overcome a lot of things this year, from mental challenges to injuries. It’s not easy.”

Pegula, ranked No 6, beat Karolina Pliskova (7-5, 6-4), qualifier Ashlyn Krueger (6-2, 6-4), Peyton Stearns (6-4, 7-5) and Russian Diana Shnaider, the No 14 seed (6-4, 6-3) ahead of her victory.

Earlier in the tournament, Anisimova, ranked No 132, defeated Caroline Dolehide (6-1, 6-4), Russian Daria Kasatkina, the No 5 seed (6-4, 6-3), Russian Anna Kalinskaya, the No 10 seed (6-2 ret.), Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, the second seed (6-4, 6-2) and No 8 seed Emma Navarro (6-3, 2-6, 6-2).

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