Jessica Pegula pulled off a daring first-set escape at the Omnium Banque Nationale on Wednesday to maintain her status as the reigning Queen of Canada.
Montreal: Draws | Scores | Order of play
In a second-round clash in Montreal, No. 3 seed Pegula of the United States fended off five set points at 5-4 in the opening set and collected a 7-5, 6-4 win over Maria Sakkari of Greece.
Two-time defending champion Jessica Pegula has now won 11 straight matches at the Omnium Banque Nationale, stretching her streak across two cities. She captured the WTA 1000 title in Montreal in 2023, then defended it last year when the women’s event shifted to Toronto.
Pegula and Sakkari know each other’s games well — this was the 12th meeting between these two players, both of whom have peaked at World No. 3 in the PIF WTA Singles Rankings. This time, it was the American who prevailed in 1 hour and 32 minutes to take a 7-5 lead in their head-to-head series.
On Wednesday, Pegula led 3-1 in the first set before Sakkari stormed back in the opener, at one point winning 12 points in a row. Sakkari held her five set points at 5-4 but Pegula showed off her Canadian magic, battling to a hold for 5-5.
After that, Pegula’s service returns ramped up in efficacy and she won the next four games to lead by a set and a break. Pegula got all the way to 4-1 in the second set before Sakkari made another surge and reached 4-3.
By this point, though, Pegula was weighting her drop shots perfectly and held most of the control. The American had to save one final break point in the last game before earning another win in Canada.
Pegula converted all five of her break points on Wednesday, becoming the first woman to win 11 straight matches at this event since Serena Williams reeled off 14 straight between 2011 and 2014.
Pegula will next face veteran Anastasija Sevastova in the third round. Former World No. 11 Sevastova beat Pegula in Indian Wells qualifying back in 2016, but Pegula picked up a clay-court win over Sevastova at 2019 Charleston.
Another American seeded in the Top 5, Amanda Anisimova, was also a second-round winner on Wednesday. No. 5 seed Anisimova defeated Lulu Sun 6-4, 7-6(5) in an evening encounter.
Contesting her first match since she finished runner-up to Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon, Anisimova slammed 11 aces as she moved into the third round for the second straight year.
Anisimova’s big surge up the rankings truly kicked off in Canada a year ago. Ranked No. 132, she was runner-up to Jessica Pegula at this event when it was held in Toronto. 12 months later, Anisimova is a Top 10 player.
Anisimova will face a Grand Slam champion in the third round when she takes on 2021 US Open winner Emma Raducanu.
Raducanu has won both of their previous meetings in straight sets, and they both came on hard court this year, at the Australian Open and in Miami.