Catching Up With the Toronto Champion: How the…

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In August, Jessica Pegula hoisted her second National Bank Open title in front of a full house at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto. The victory confirmed her as one of the top hard-court threats on the WTA Tour and propelled her to an unforgettable summer that saw her reach her first ever Major final a few weeks later and tie her career-high ranking of No. 3 in the world.

The American looked very comfortable yet again playing in front of a Canadian crowd as she defended her crown from Montreal a year earlier with a three-set victory over Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 2-6, 6-1.

About her success in Canada, Pegula said:

“I've always just played well here, and I think my results kind of show that. Especially Toronto, it's nice, it's so close to Buffalo. I had a lot of friends, family, and my grandparents, my husband was able to come today, that's cool. I don't really get that at a lot of tournaments. Then to be able to win the tournament as well, and to be able to share that moment with them is really special.”

Pegula didn’t rest on her laurels after her victory here in the Great White North and instead used the title in Toronto to propel her to back-to-back finals at the 1000-level event in Cincinnati and then reach her first major final at the US Open in New York. She went a spectacular 15-2 during that time.

The only player to defeat Pegula during her superb summer swing was Aryna Sabalenka, who took her out in the finals both in Cincy and Flushing Meadows.

At the US Open, Pegula broke her streak of 22 straight majors without making it past the quarter-finals by beating World No. 1 Iga Swiatek to make her first-ever Slam semi.

After that meaningful victory over Swiatek, Pegula was asked by the press about finally breaking through that barrier:

“I would like to say I'm so happy that you guys cannot ask me [anymore] about making it to the semis. It wasn't even a me thing. It was more people asking me. I'm really happy to be through to the semifinals. I thought I played a really clean match, served pretty well, returned well. I feel like I didn't really do anything that bad, and was able to kind of jump on her really early and I think frustrate her, and was able to keep my level even when she picked it up in the second set. I think I just played all-around really good tennis today.”

“It wasn't so much the round,” Pegula continued. “It's just, like, winning a big match...There's a lot of other variables; beating her, the No. 1 player in the world, Ashe, prime time, trying to make a semifinal, knowing that I'm up, knowing that I'm playing well, I'm giving myself a really good opportunity.”

Pegula then headed to China, fully entrenched as the No. 1 American player, to participate in the Asian swing. She showed some fatigue during this stretch of the season which was understandable given her busy summer schedule which had also included her participation in the Paris Olympic Games prior to her title in Toronto.

One positive in Asia was that Pegula showed off her doubles skills, managing a finals appearance in Wuhan alongside Asia Muhammad.

The 30-year-old finished her year at the WTA Finals in Saudia Arabia where she lost both of her singles round-robin matches in straight sets to eventual champion Coco Gauff and Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova.

Pegula arrived at the event in less-than-perfect health and then aggravated an existing knee injury and was forced to withdraw after her first two matches.

Pegula shared that, “I went to Asia, and it wasn't the greatest Asian Swing ever. I think it kind of snaps you back pretty quickly. Like tennis is, it's a new week with new challenges. That's all I'm really focusing on now.”

Pegula faced many new challenges in 2024 and had arguably her most successful season as a pro. Now, with the relief of having sustained success at a major, it will be interesting to see how Pegula fares at the Slams in 2025. How much higher can she climb and can Pegula repeat as NBO champ for a third straight year when she returns to Montreal?

The WTA's best return to Montreal next summer for the National Bank Open July 26 to Aug. 7, 2025 at IGA Stadium. 2025 Tickets are on sale. Get your tickets today!

Feature Photo: Martin Sidorjak