Cashmere Wrap: Anisimova Overcomes Navarro,…

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It was semifinal Sunday at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers and we are down to the final four women in the singles draw and the final four teams in doubles.

This year has turned out to be heavy with North American content as three of the four women left in singles are from the United States while the doubles draw has four Americans on one side and three Canadians (plus Erin Routliffe, who has Canadian citizenship despite representing New Zealand) on the other side.

Follow the Live Semifinal Results from Toronto

In the opening match of the day on Centre Court, eighth seeded Emma Navarro faced Amanda Anisimova. Navarro has been one of the strongest players on the WTA this year and is 11th in the 2024 rankings race. Anisimova, meanwhile, who initially burst onto the scene as a teenager, is back after taking some time away from the game to focus on her mental health and proving she still belongs among the best.

Wind proved once again to be a challenge for the players but it was Anisimova who handled it better out of the gates. She broke in the second game of the match at love and cruised to a 6-3 opening set over Navarro, who seemed a bit nervous to start her first-ever WTA 1000 semifinal. Anisimova’s serve was on fire and the 22-year-old captured 93 per cent of first serve points in the set.

In the second, the players traded breaks in the third and fourth games before Navarro settled down and went ahead 4-2. After taking the following game as well, Anisimova called the trainer onto the court for some issues with blisters on her right foot. Navarro would close out the set at 6-2 to even the match.

The third set produced some lengthy games early on and Anisimova would break for a 2-1 and later 5-2 as she rediscovered her rhythm and really took control of the points. She won the match 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 to make the finals of a WTA 1000 tournament for the first time in her career. No matter what, she now moves up from 137th to 49th in the live rankings and could move even higher should she be crowned champion on Sunday.

After the match, NBO Tournament Director Karl Hale had a nice surprise for Anisimova at her press conference. He invited PWHL and Team Canada hockey star Renata Fast to present the American with a team jersey from the Toronto women’s hockey franchise.

It represents yet another hockey/tennis collaboration after the ball hockey game that took place during the 407 ETR Family Weekend and further supports the tournament’s commitment to promoting gender equity in sports.

The second singles match was more straightforward with No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula showing her veteran poise and taking-out No. 14 seed Diana Shnaider 6-4, 6-3. Pegula now advances to yet another NBO final where she will attempt to defend her title from last year in Montreal.

In the first doubles semifinal of the day, Desirae Krawczyk and Caroline Dolehide overcame compatriots Sofia Kenin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-2, 3-6, 10-7 on the Grandstand Court.

Canadian tennis fans were most excited about the final match of the night between Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe and the Fernandez sisters, Leylah Annie and Bianca Jolie.

The No. 1 tandem in the draw was pushed pretty hard yesterday by the wildcard Canadian duo of Ariana Arseneault and Mia Kupres, so there was hope that tonight’s match might also be close despite the gap in rankings and doubles experience.

Routliffe and Dabrowski showed why they are literally the world’s best, ranked first and third respectively, with strong play from both the back and front of the court. In particular, they pounced on any balls left hanging at the net and generally didn’t allow Leylah Annie and Bianca Jolie to establish any rhythm. They took the match 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the final.

The finals are therefore set for Monday with Anisimova taking on Pegula at 6 pm on Centre Court, followed by Krawchuk and Dolehide against Dabrowski and Routliffe.

The WTA's best return to Toronto this summer for the National Bank Open August 4 to 12, 2024 at Sobeys Stadium. 2024 Tickets are on sale. Get your tickets today!

Feature Photo: Peter Power