Pegula beats Anisimova to claim 2nd straight National Bank Open title

TORONTO (AP) — Jessica Pegula, the No. 3 seed and the sixth-ranked WTA Tour player, defended her National Bank Open women’s singles title by defeating Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 in Monday’s all-American final.

Pegula, from nearby Buffalo, New York, won last year’s National Bank Open in Montreal and improved her all-time record at the Canadian tennis championship to 17-2 in picking up the sixth tournament victory of her career.

Anisimova, who entered the week ranked No. 132 in the world as she continues her comeback after stepping away from the game for a mental health break, beat three top-20 players in Toronto, including No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals.

Monday’s showdown 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 30-year-old picked up a break in the first game and led 5-3 when Anisimova double-faulted to go down a set.

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 then pushed ahead 5-2 with another break when Pegula committed a double fault before holding serve to hand Pegula her first dropped set of the tournament.

Monday marked the first time two American women have played for Canada’s national championship since Serena Williams defeated Jennifer Capriati in 2001.

Pegula is the first player to register 10 consecutive wins in women’s singles at the Canadian Open since Serena Williams put up 14 wins from 2011 to 2014.

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