WTA 1000 Toronto: Pegula to Stay Hot at Canadian Open?
by Bradley Gibbs | by Bradley Gibbs
Tournament history
As we head into August, the focus is largely on the upcoming US Open, which is the fourth and final Grand Slam of the calendar year, though before we get to Flushing Meadows, there’s the small matter of some WTA 1000 action to take care of in Toronto, Canada, where the Canadian Open is played.
It may not be one of tennis’ four majors, but the Canadian Open is a serious event for serious players, and that’s why the big guns will be out in force this week. In fact, only one of the current top ten will miss this tournament.
Before we go any further, let’s look at the recent winners and finalists of this event:
2021 - Camila Giorgi defeated Karolina Pliskova
2022 - Simona Halep defeated Beatriz Haddad Maia
2023 - Jessica Pegula defeated Liudmila Samsonova
2024 - Jessica Pegula defeated Amanda Anisimova
2025 - Victoria Mboko defeated Naomi Osaka
Last year’s event put Victoria Mboko firmly on the map as a player capable of winning the best events, with the young Canadian thoroughly enjoying herself on home soil, defeating not one, not two but three Grand Slam winners in the process. She’ll be looking to do more damage this year, though her preparation hasn’t been ideal, so maybe we shouldn’t be expecting the 19-year-old to win this event for the second year on the bounce.
Top event won by top players
It’s not unheard of for lower-ranking players to enjoy themselves outside of the Grand Slams, but the Canadian Open is not exactly a tournament known for throwing up shock winners.
Last year was a bit of an exception, with Victoria Mboko coming into the event ranked down at 85, but in general, this is not really an event won by players outside of the top 25. In fact, only three of the last ten winners began the week ranked lower than 25th.
Since the turn of the century, the Canadian Open has been won by some of the biggest names in the sport, including Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams, who won the event three times between 2001 and 2013. In 2026, Jessica Pegula is bidding to equal Serena’s impressive record of winning this event three times.
Pegula will enter the week as the third seed, with Elena Rybakina down as the second seed, while the top seed belongs to current world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
Two-time winner to be taken very seriously
One player we should be taking very seriously this week is Jessica Pegula, who not only comes into the tournament in fine form, but who has previously thrived at this event, lifting the trophy in both 2023 and 2024.
In general, Pegula is one of the best hard-court players on the WTA Tour, and when she’s firing on all cylinders, which she has been recently, she’s a tough nut to crack.
Back in late winter/early spring, Pegula tasted defeat just twice in 13 hard-court matches, losing to nobody apart from Elena Rybakina, while nobody outside of the current top seven has defeated Pegula on this surface in a year. During that time, she has an 81% win rate.
If we also consider that she’s lifted the trophy in two of her previous three appearances at the Canadian Open, we can conclude that we’re dealing with a real contender, a contender who is well worth betting on to go all the way.
Our WTA 1000 Toronto Pick: Jessica Pegula to Win the Title.
