Jessica Pegula was given a scare by Amanda Anisimova in the Canadian Open final, but she recovered to secure her second title in Canada and her third WTA-1000 title overall.
Pegula was defending her Canadian Open title in the final, Her run last year included a victory against her doubles partner at the recent Olympics, Coco Gauff, who has no plans to play doubles for the rest of the season.
Anisimova's run to the final was more unexpected. She had struggled for consistent form this year after returning to the sport at the Australian Open, having taken a hiatus for most of the 2023 season.
The 22-year-old's journey to the final included a quarterfinal victory against the Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka. She then defeated Wimbledon quarterfinalist Emma Navarro to reach her first WTA-1000 final.
By making the final in Toronto, Anisimova already guaranteed a return to the Top 50. However, she hoped to go further and secure her first WTA-1000 title by overcoming her older compatriot.
Unfortunately for Anisimova, she made the worst possible start. Pegula broke in the first game of the match by rushing her opponent with her trademark deep and penetrating groundstrokes from the baseline.
The defending champion then delivered a serving masterclass throughout the opening set. Pegula only lost one point on serve in her four service games in the first set, which was a double fault.
Anisimova was broken again in the final game, losing the set 3-6. She was outclassed entirely throughout, and making a comeback seemed very tough at that stage.
The match seemed to be slipping away from the younger American when she found herself 0-40 down in her opening service game of the second set. However, Pegula's level dropped for the first time in the match, and Anisimova managed to hold.
Anisimova's level rose dramatically after that. Suddenly, she was returning Pegula's serve well and doing a better job of staying in the rallies, overwhelming her fellow American with her formidable power.
The 22-year-old won five of the final six games in the set to take it 6-2 and forced a decider. Picking a winner at that point in the match was difficult. Pegula had experience on her side, but Anisimova had momentum after how she played in the second set.
In the end, Pegula raced away with the final in the third set. Anisimova paid the price for starting slowly on her serve again. She made a series of unforced errors in her first service game to hand Pegula an early break.
Pegula was in the zone after that. She barely missed a shot after getting the first break, putting Anisimova under constant pressure. After her efforts to reach the final, the 22-year-old could not raise her level to challenge the six-time major quarterfinalist.
Anisimova managed to avoid losing the set 0-6 by holding serve at 0-5 down, but it only delayed the inevitable. Pegula secured her second Canadian Open title by triumphing 6-3, 2-6, 6-1. It was a tough loss for Anisimova, but she still has a lot to be proud of after a terrific week.
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