WTA Canadian Open Round-Up: Pegula and Shnaider march into semifinals

Sunday, 11 August 2024 at 05:25

Jessica Pegula and Diana Shnaider emerged victorious in their quarterfinal matches and will face each other for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 Canadian Open.

In the first match of the day, Pegula overcame challenges to defeat Peyton Stearns, while Shnaider made a comeback in the all-Russian clash against Ludmila Samsonova.

Pegula powers through: Defending champion survives Stearns

Jessica Pegula (No. 6) defeated Peyton Stearns (No. 53) and continues her strong run in pursuit of defending her title at the Canadian Open. The American No. 2 had no major issues against her compatriot and secured her spot in the semifinals with a commanding 6-4, 7-5 victory.

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At the start of the match, Stearns was competitive despite not being the favorite. Both players had a 62% first serve rate, but Pegula was more effective, conceding only 5 points on her serve throughout the set. A single break in the 6th game was enough for the defending champion to take the set after 36 minutes.

In the second part, Stearns raised her level, with an impressive 83% first serve rate compared to Pegula's mere 56%. The 22-year-old saved a couple of break points early on and then surprised Pegula by breaking her serve and taking a 4-1 lead. Despite Stearns' advantage, she faltered under pressure, and Pegula staged a great comeback. The third seed won 5 consecutive games to close out the match despite difficulties, winning 6-4, 7-5.

Pegula remains on track, and with the eliminations of Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka, she stands as the top favorite in the semifinals. The defending champion will have to challenge an inspired Shnaider if she wants to make back-to-back finals in Canada.

Shnaider stuns Samsonova: Young Russian overcomes early setback

Shnaider arrived full of confidence with 15 wins in her last 16 appearances on the Tour. The young Russian, 20 years old, has been one of the standout players in recent months, with titles at Bad Homburg and Budapest Open, as well as winning a silver medal in women's doubles alongside Mirra Andreeva.

However, the match quickly began to tilt in favor of Samsonova, who secured the first break in the third game. This was enough to later secure the set on her serve, winning 6-4. Both players were imprecise with their first serves but managed to avoid further breaks.

In the second set, Shnaider's comeback began, as she secured two consecutive breaks and easily took control of the set. The 20-year-old closed the set 6-1 in her favor in just 30 minutes. In the third set, everything remained even until 3-3, when Shnaider secured the decisive break that would give her the victory, advancing to the semifinals with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 win.

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Mission complete ✅ Diana Shnaider comes back to defeat Samsonova 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. She has secured a place in her first WTA 1000 semifinal! #NBO24

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3:13 AM · Aug 11, 2024

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Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist

Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.

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