Jessica Pegula goes back-to-back at National Bank Open

Jessica Pegula successfully defended her National Bank Open title, defeating Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 in an all-American championship final on Monday in Toronto.

Pegula, ranked No. 6 in the world and seeded third, won in Montreal in 2023 as the tournament alternates annually between the two Canadian cities. The location didn't matter as the 30-year-old won in one hour and 27 minutes.

In winning her third career WTA 1000-level title and sixth overall, Pegula became the first woman to capture consecutive singles crowns at the National Bank Open since Martina Hingis in 1999-2000. The most recent player to reach two consecutive finals was Simona Halep in 2015-16.

Pegula, now 3-0 all-time versus the unseeded Anisimova, is a career 17-2 in main-draw matches at this event. The two losses came in the semifinals in 2021 and 2022, and she also fell in a qualifying match in 2013.

She started and finished strong, with Anisimova, ranked No. 132 in the world, making it a battle by taking the second set.

Pegula took 16 of 17 service points -- including all 12 of her first-service points -- in the opening set. She registered 16 of the first 19 points in the final set.

Overall, Pegula had more aces (6-2), won 79.1 percent (34 of 43) of her first-serve points and 44 percent (22 of 50) of first-return points.

Anisimova, 22, recorded more double faults (9-4) in her WTA 1000-level final. She was seeking third WTA title and first since early 2022. The native of Freehold, N.J., missed a large part of the 2023 season while focusing on her mental health.

She had defeated four straight top-20 players before running into Pegula, a Buffalo, N.Y., native who practically owns this tournament.

Pegula's 10 consecutive singles matches are the best since Serena Williams captured 14 straight from 2011-14. Williams was the most recent American to win at the Toronto site (2013) before Pegula on Monday.

Anisimova is projected to move into the top 50 in the updated rankings.

--Field Level Media