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Preview 2024 Canadian Open: Finals Day in Montreal and Toronto featuring Anisimova v Pegula and Rublev v Popyrin
ATPMonday, 12 August 2024 at 15:48
It is finals day at the 2024 Canadian Open as Montreal and Toronto conclude for another year and two champions will be crowned. Albeit in one of the two, it could be a title defence. Our preview looks ahead as the National Bank Open concludes.
In the women's final, Jessica Pegula who won the title 12 months ago defeating Liudmila Samsonova looks to defend it. She will face off against Amanda Anisimova who is into her first ever WTA 1000 final.
While Andrey Rublev will look for a second ATP 1000 of the season in the men's final. He faces Alexei Popyrin and looks to add to Madrid and Hong Kong in 2024 alone.
The resurgence of Anisimova takes spotlight
In the women's final, it is one player that takes the spotlight for her return to the top and that is Amanda Anisimova.
The 22-year-old previously reached the cusp of the top 20 in the world and was highly heralded. But it was the cautionary tale of tempering expectations for young sporting stars. This time last year, she was taking a break and seemingly thriving away from the cauldron that is tennis.
She had joined up to go to university and was enjoying life with her friends and family away from the tennis spotlight. Some wondered whether she would return again ala Garbine Muguruza who in similar albeit being older than Anisimova and towards the twilight of her career decided to take a break.
She decided in the end that this break would be permanent and has since retired from the sport. Ashleigh Barty perhaps is the other example on the same sort of age wave length as Anisimova. Bianca Andreescu too spent a lot of time soul searching off the court albeit during an injury lay-off and the mental side of the game has been heavily spotlighted with the rigours of the tour.
So Anisimova's return to the spotlight is a real feel good story. One in which shows that it is ok to take a break and take scope after being on the road for months on end. A player too that has battled real form woes and injuries since her return and was likely thinking was this worth it? It is for moments like this. She reached the Quarter-Finals last week in Washington winning through qualifying and getting the match practice in that perhaps she hasn't all year.
That then manifested itself into a loss to Caroline Dolehide but she faced her again in Toronto and decisively thrashed her in the opening round. She will return to the top 50 for the first time since May 2023 come what may, she is into a fourth career final and sealed four top 20 wins in one event for the first time in her career.
Amanda Anisimova has been the story of this week in Canada.
It is very much a who's who of players who have been on form at different junctures of the season perhaps aside from Swiatek, Paolini and Collins all of whom weren't in Toronto. Wins over Daria Kasatkina, Anna Kalinskaya, Aryna Sabalenka and Emma Navarro all backed it up. The latter in a three set fight with the all American battle giving Anisimova likely fuel for her final.
Prolific Pegula looks to derail Anisimova resurgence
Albeit standing in her way is the defending champion Jessica Pegula who has not had the best season of her career. The model of ultra consistency on the WTA Tour, Pegula has spent most of the season off the court injured.
But could pick up a second title of the year this week. It would be a sixth WTA Tour title and would be her third WTA 1000 crown. She is bidding to become the first player to go back-to-back in Montreal and Toronto since Martina Hingis in 1999 and 2000.
She sealed Berlin only weeks after returning after two months off the court so has real scope to pick up the wins again. She also had a rough Olympic Games which no doubt would've added fuel to the fire. Revelling pre tournament in all of the Olympic Games atmosphere, she lost to Elina Svitolina and also was dumped out early in the doubles with Coco Gauff.
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A partnership which later was revealed to be ending soon after the tournament which has been somewhat a long time coming. But one for bouncing back, she has done that this week. It has been American after American after beating Karolina Pliskova in the first round. Brushing aside Ashlyn Krueger, she then faced Peyton Stearns. But the rising Ohio ace wasn't a match for her.
Neither was Diana Shnaider with the Russian being one of the best players on tour this season and a real breakout over the last 18 months. But it was a 6-4, 6-3 win in a match that perhaps the Russian was going into as a sneaky outside favourite.
Head to Head wise, it is perhaps expected to go long. Anisimova lost a tight three set contest in Charleston earlier this year. The only other tie they've played was four years ago in Cincinnati. Pegula won that in straight sets albeit 7-5, 6-2. So a close encounter is likely.
Rampant Rublev set for second ATP 1000 of 2024?
In the men's final, it is led by Andrey Rublev who opened up about his own mental health demons after sealing his spot. He has struggled with his temper at times over the past year but has been cool, calm and collected in his task at hand in Montreal.
The rain has decimated parts of the week but Rublev has remained resolute. Not defending his Olympic Games medals, Rublev decided instead to get some match wins and look to get into some of the form that he was on during the clay.
But that came to a halt due to a throat issue and he has not been at his best since. This week though has given a real glimpse. He has seen off Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Brandon Nakashima before defeating World No.1, Jannik Sinner.
Deciding against Olympic Games could be the best choice for Rublev.
Sinner did look to be struggling and is seemingly not over his illness or injury doubts. But Rublev didn't show any signs of a hangover from the big win as he took down Matteo Arnaldi 6-4, 6-2 in the semi-finals.
Winning in Madrid and Hong Kong this season both at different junctures, Rublev has not put a consistent run really together but will hope Montreal kick starts that. A Quarter-Final run in Washington and now a final in Toronto is pretty good going for ranking points too as he shows perhaps why he snubbed the Olympic Games.
But in his way is a maiden finalist. Alexei Popyrin who could head towards the top 20 for this triumph. He has often shown promise but not delivered on it thus far. He has had a supreme week though. A first round loss in Washington, he bounced back by seeing off Tomas Machac. Then it was a run of top names.
He defeated Ben Shelton, Grigor Dimitrov, Hubert Hurkacz and Sebastian Korda. Most have been ailing with injuries as of late but are still high profile and despite being pushed to his limit at times, he has found a way through. That is what champions do and it could be a third career title. It is well set up too with the duo sat at 1-1 in Head to Head.
Previous Winners
Men's Singles
- 2023: Jannik Sinner defeated Alex de Minaur 6–4, 6–1
- 2022: Pablo Carreño Busta defeated Hubert Hurkacz 3–6, 6–3, 6–3
- 2021: Daniil Medvedev defeated Reilly Opelka 6–4, 6–3
- 2020: Not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2019: Rafael Nadal defeated Daniil Medvedev 6–3, 6–0
- 2018: Rafael Nadal defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6–2, 7–6(4)
- 2017: Alexander Zverev defeated Roger Federer 6–3, 6–4
- 2016: Novak Djokovic defeated Kei Nishikori 6–3, 7–5
Women's Singles
- 2023: Jessica Pegula defeated Liudmila Samsonova 6–1, 6–0
- 2022: Simona Halep defeated Beatriz Haddad Maia 6–3, 2–6, 6–3
- 2021: Camila Giorgi defeated Karolína Plíšková 6–3, 7–5
- 2020: Not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2019: Bianca Andreescu defeated Serena Williams 3–1 (retired)
- 2018: Simona Halep defeated Sloane Stephens 7–6(6), 3–6, 6–4
- 2017: Elina Svitolina defeated Caroline Wozniacki 6–4, 6–0
- 2016: Simona Halep defeated Madison Keys 7–6(2), 6–3
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