Jessica Pegula is one match away from defending her title at the Canadian Open after beating Diana Shnaider in the semi-finals.
Jessica Pegula has continued her faultless streak in Toronto and is just two sets away from hanging on to her Canadian crown.
After Diana Shnaider thrashed Coco Gauff, Pegula’s work looked to be cut out when she went down an early break to the Russian.
Quickly recovering and adjusting her game plan, she managed to wear down the Russian in a handful of incredibly long games, to win in straight sets.
With Amanda Anisimova’s ludicrous run to the final having seen her jump up 80 spots into the top 50, she has defeated Aryna Sabalenka and in the semi-final saw off Emma Navarro in three sets.
The 22-year-old has only recently returned to high-level and regular tennis, after taking an extended break away from the sport for mental health reasons.
Now back and in superb form, she has the title well within her sights and just Pegula standing in her way.
Jessica Pegula applauds Amanda Anisimova’s recent return to form
Pegula has been flying the flag for American’s women tennis long before the arrival of younger stars like Coco Gauff and Navarro.
With Anisimova having originally burst onto to the scene around five years ago when she was still a teenager, Pegula has been absolute in her praise for her compatriot.
“I’ve always thought Amanda is a really super talented player and is a top player when she’s healthy and she’s playing,” Pegula explained in her press conference after her semi-final win.
“Obviously she took a little bit of a break there which is great and it’s good to see her back and playing top tennis. I think everyone knows she’s a threat, every time she steps on the court she’s one of the cleanest biggest ball-strikers I’ve ever played against, so when she’s on, it can be really really tough.
“So tomorrow is definitely going to be a battle,” she admitted. I’m going to have to do my best to just make her play a lot of extra balls and try to be aggressive when I can, because when she’s on, she can hit a lot of winners and kind of take the racket out of your hands at times.”
With Pegula having an 100% record against Anisimova in their two previous meetings, their match in Charleston earlier this year was incredibly tight, with the 30-year-old clinching it in a final set tiebreak.
How strong is American women’s tennis at the moment?
American tennis has been truly flying so far in Toronto, with three of the four semi-finalists all hailing from the states.
Even Russia’s Shnaider has US ties, having successfully come through the college system, playing her tennis in North Carolina.
Navarro was quick to praise American tennis upon joining her two compatriots in the semi-finals, despite an underwhelming recent Olympic performance from Team USA.
For the first time since 2004, five American women rank inside the top 15 of the WTA Rankings.
Led by world number two and reigning US Open champion Gauff, Pegula and Danielle Collins also sit inside the top 10, with Madison Keys and Navarro just outside.
The last time five Americans were ranked in the top 15 was May 2004, with Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Jennifer Capriati and Chanda Rubin.
With a guaranteed American winner in Toronto and Anisimova’s new rich vein of form, she will be keen to continue her meteoric rise through the rankings to potentially expand the quintet to six.
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