Pegula and Anisimova meet in US final Toronto

The 2024 National Bank Open final in Toronto will be a match between two American players: reigning champion Jessica Pegula And Amanda Anisimova.

Amanda Anisimova, 22, took a mental health break from competition last season, which dropped her WTA ranking outside the Top 350. However, she has made an impressive comeback on the hardcourt swing ahead of the US Open. Although she has played just 11 matches in 2023, she has played 10 in the past 16 days, including a quarterfinal appearance at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington, DC, as a qualifier and now reaching the final of the National Bank Open.

In an all-American semifinal in windy conditions in Toronto, Anisimova defeated eighth seed Emma Navarro 6-3 2-6 6-2. The former world No. 21, now No. 132, has defeated four Top 20 players in Toronto, including No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 12 Daria Kasatkina, No. 15 Navarro and No. 17 Anna Kalinskaya. The remarkable run makes Anisimova the lowest-ranked finalist at the tournament in 40 years and the second-lowest-ranked finalist in a WTA 1000 event since the format’s inception 15 years ago.

Anisimova’s opponent in the final is third seed Jessica Pegula, the reigning champion who claimed the title last year by beating Liudmila Samsonova. In Sunday’s semifinals, Pegula secured her return to the final by beating Russian Diana Shnaider 6-4 6-3, the only non-American among the semifinalists in Toronto.

Monday’s National Bank Open final will be the third meeting between Pegula and Anisimova in their head-to-head matches, with Pegula leading 2-0. Pegula enters the match as a favorite, not only because of her positive record against Anisimova and her higher ranking, but also because of her exceptional performance at this tournament, where she has a 16-2 record in the main draw.