The Canadian Open continues this week as Jessica Pegula faces Amanda Anisimova in a highly-anticipated final. Damien Kayat previews.
2024 ATP Tour – WTA 1000
Canadian Open
IGA Stadium
Selected final – 13 August
Jessica Pegula 39/100 | Amanda Anisimova 39/20
Jessica Pegula
Jessica Pegula occasionally befuddles me. She has that Rublev-like ability to capitulate in Grand Slam quarterfinals (she has lost all six). But she has also been one of the preeminent figures in WTA 1000 tennis over the past few years, reaching the semifinal stage or better on nine separate occasions.
She finished runner-up at last year’s WTA Finals and I just struggle to understand why she can’t translate that into more tangible Grand Slam success. Men’s Grand Slam tennis does feel somewhat different to anything else on tour due to the five-set format.
But that isn’t a factor for women. In any event, Pegula has the US Open coming to rectify her Grand Slam woes and her form in Toronto should give her plenty of confidence.
Jessica Pegula has become something of a Canadian Open specialist in recent years, reaching the semifinal stage or better in each of the last four seasons.
The defending champion reached her 2nd successive final courtesy of an unerring straight-sets win over in-form Russian Diana Shnaider. She went down 2-0 in the first set but quickly seized back control of proceedings, winning 73% of her first-serve points in a comfortable win.
Pegula hasn’t dropped a set in Toronto and her victory over Shnaider extended her overall Canadian Open winning streak to nine matches. She was consistent – if unspectacular – in the early portion of the season. She was forced to withdraw from the French Open due to injury but she did win a maiden grass-court title in Berlin.
But she has turned on the style this past week, underlining her status as one of the leading hardcourt players in women’s tennis.
Amanda Anisimova
Big-hitting Amanda Anisimova has been in absolutely scintillating form in Toronto, beating four top-20 players in succession to reach her maiden WTA 1000 final. Currently ranked 132nd in the world, the industrious American is the lowest-ranked player to reach the final here in 40 years.
She has looked absolutely ruthless, winning her first four matches without dropping a set. Things were trickier in her quarterfinal clash with Emma Navarro, as blustery conditions led to a slew of unforced errors from both players.
But she seized the initiative in the final set, bludgeoning the crafty and consistent Navarro into submission with the depth of her groundstrokes. The flat-hitting Anisimova is ideally suited to the speed of these surfaces and it makes sense that she Is enjoying a North American hardcourt renaissance.
The 22-year-old burst into the consciousness of the tennis community with a glorious 2019 French Open semifinal run (when she was just 17 years of age).
She never quite delivered on that early potential but she seemed to be heading in the right direction after a quarterfinal run at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. But the mental toll of the game became a burden and she decided to take a hiatus from the game midway through last season.
She returned to action in encouraging fashion earlier this year, reaching the 4th round of the Aussie Open. But she endured a dismal run on clay and it wasn’t until the Citi Open- where she reached the quarterfinals- that we finally got a glimpse of prime Anisimova.
She is now 7-1 in this North American hardcourt swing and she won’t be phased by any opponent. She beat World No.2 Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals, withstanding the Belarusian’s immense power and countering accordingly.
The Verdict: Pegula to win in straight sets 92/100
Pegula leads Anisimova 2-0 in their head-to-head meetings. Having said that, Pegula had to come back from a set down when they met at this year’s Charleston Open. Anisimova has moved through a gauntlet of top players this week but Pegula could be her kryptonite.
Pegula has incredible rally tolerance and her ability to redirect pace could prove too much for Anisimova (as spirited as she has been). Also, Anisimova needed a medical timeout during her three-set win against Navarro and Pegula has barely broken a sweat all tournament.
