‘So-So Year’ Suddenly on Upswing for Toronto Titlist Pegula

By Richard Osborn

It’s been a whirlwind of a summer for Jessica Pegula, who went straight from the Olympic Games in Paris to a successful WTA 1000 title defense in Toronto, a seamless clay-to-cement shift. Less than 24 hours later, she was sitting down for an interview in Mason, Ohio, site of the Cincinnati Open. She had yet to step on a practice court.

“It’s a quick turnaround,” offered Pegula with a smile.

Those surface swaps can be tricky. We’ve already seen some Olympic medalists bounced in the opening round this week at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, including Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Donna Vekic. But Pegula says she’s happy she made the choice to represent her country.

“Paris was an amazing week. So much crammed into one week, but it was a lot of fun,” said Pegula, a two-time quarterfinalist in Cincinnati. “I wanted to use that experience as a positive going into the following week. It was a surface change, ball change, conditions, everything pretty much opposite. It definitely took a few days, but I just wanted to trust my game on hard courts once I got there, knowing that I would find some rhythm.”

“I played a little bit better with each match. It was definitely a tough week mentally, to be able to come back and just focus on competing. In a way, that kind of helped me, because I didn’t have time to think about how I was really feeling. It’s not like I had this massive prep.”

Pegula, 30, took out three of her countrywomen in defending her Toronto crown, including the resurgent Amanda Anisimova in the title match, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1. The result will surely bolster her confidence as she heads into one of the most important stretches of the season.

“It’s been a little bit of an up-and-down year, but I’ve had some good results pop in here and there,” said Pegula, who earlier this summer saved five championship points against Anna Kalinskaya to take the WTA 500 title in Berlin. “To be able to win a 1000 title, to show the comfortability and the confidence on hard courts right away coming from Paris, you never really know how it’s going to go. I think I was able to handle it really well. It does a lot for me going into the US Open because I wasn’t quite sure where I was this year. Hopefully, I can use that going into a Slam.”

There were tears on the court after she sealed the win in Toronto, Pegula unable to cap the emotions.

“I think I was really just excited to be able to win another title this year,” said Pegula, who missed nearly two months of action between April and June due to neck issues. “Being able to win Berlin was also emotional, coming back from an injury. Then being able to defend a tournament I’ve always done well at in a place that’s somewhat close to home, close to Buffalo, and have my grandparents, my husband, some friends there, it was different. It felt kind of like a home tournament. It was nice to be able to go through that whole week and play some good tennis when I needed to and come out on top. It was happy tears for a happy week.”

A seemingly so-so year suddenly doesn’t look so gloomy after all.

“It’s definitely taken a little bit more of an upturn,” she said. “The end of the year was looking a little rough. Now I’ve alleviated some of that pressure, defending some points, which is kind of always in the back of your mind. It’s definitely changed my year a little bit. I keep saying it’s a bad year, but I’ve won a 500 and a 1000. I know that the level is still there.”