Tennis

Jessica Pegula's 2023 season has been a rollercoaster ride, marked by early exits and injuries. However, her recent title defense at the National Bank Open in Toronto has reignited her hopes for a strong finish to the year.Pegula's struggles began early in the season, with disappointing performances at several tournaments. Injuries forced her to withdraw from Indian Wells, Miami, and Roland Garros, further derailing her momentum.Despite these setbacks, Pegula showed signs of improvement on grass, winning her first title in eight months at the ecotrans Ladies Open. However, she entered the US Open swing with low expectations after a busy schedule that included the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.To her surprise, Pegula hit the ground running in Toronto, reaching her second straight final without dropping a set. She became the first woman since Martina Hingis in 2000 to win both the Montréal and Toronto tournaments."It was definitely a tough week mentally," Pegula said of her Olympic exits. "But to be able to come back the next week and just focus on competing almost helped me. I didn't have time to think about how I was really feeling."Pegula's victory in Toronto was an emotional release for her. "I was able to defend a title I've always done well at, in a place that's somewhat close to home," she said. "It was nice to go through that whole week, play some good tennis when I needed to, and come out on top."Now seeded No. 6 in Cincinnati, Pegula faces a tough opening test against either Karolina Muchova or Dayana Yastremska. Despite the demanding schedule, she is determined to keep pushing until the off-season."I missed a lot of the beginning of the year, so I feel mentally pretty good where some other people might feel more run down," Pegula said. "I'm mentally prepared to grind out the end of the year more than I would be the last few years."With her form and fitness on the rise, it remains to be seen how much better Jessica Pegula's year can get.

Taylor Townsend, the American tennis star, has made a significant breakthrough in her singles career by reaching the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event in Toronto. This is the first time she has advanced to the last eight in a WTA singles tournament.Townsend's impressive victory came against Jelena Ostapenko, the No. 11-ranked player in the world. Townsend dominated the match, winning 6-2, 6-1 in just an hour. This victory marks Townsend's third-biggest win of her career, after defeating Simona Halep and Jessica Pegula in previous tournaments.Townsend's success in singles is a testament to her hard work and determination. She has previously struggled in round-of-16 matches, going 0-12 before this tournament. However, she has now broken that pattern and is poised to make a deep run in Toronto.In addition to her singles success, Townsend is also a highly accomplished doubles player. She has won seven WTA doubles titles, including the prestigious Wimbledon title this year with Katerina Siniakova. Townsend has also captured a WTA 1000 title in Cincinnati last year with Alycia Parks.Townsend's rise in the doubles rankings has been equally impressive. She cracked the doubles Top 10 for the first time last year and set a career-high ranking of No. 5 last June. She has won her last two doubles tournaments coming into Toronto, but was ousted in the second round in Canada with Sloane Stephens.Townsend's next challenge in the singles quarterfinals will be against another American, Emma Navarro. Navarro edged Marta Kostyuk in her third-round match, 7-5, 7-5. The two Americans will face off on Saturday for a spot in the semifinals.Townsend's success in both singles and doubles is a testament to her versatility and talent. She is a rising star in the tennis world and is poised for even greater achievements in the future.