(Reuters) – American Jessica Pegula was a model of consistency without any trophies to show for it heading into the Canadian Open, but the world number three said she was hungry for more success after ending a stellar week with her first title of the season.
The 29-year-old has reached the quarter-finals or beyond in 10 of her 13 tournaments on the tour this season after capping her Montreal run by beating Liudmila Samsonova 6-1 6-0 in the final for her third title overall and second WTA 1000 crown.
Pegula beat doubles partner Coco Gauff in the quarters before sealing a second career victory over world number one Iga Swiatek to hit top gear ahead of this week’s Cincinnati Open and the Aug. 28-Sept. 10 U.S. Open.
“Beating Coco and Iga were two tough wins back-to-back and being able to do that and then come out and play a really clean match was great,” Pegula told reporters. “I felt I didn’t have a ton of pressure at any point or I wasn’t worried too much.
“We’re out on tour to win tournaments and win titles every single week, but tennis can be really tough where you sometimes lose a lot. Even when you’re winning a lot of matches, you’re still not winning tournaments, so it can get tough.
“Winning a week like this week makes it all worth it and makes you want to keep going for more. I’ll be right back at it in Cincinnati.”
Pegula became the first American woman to win the Canadian Open since Serena Williams in 2013.
“I’ve always played well here, so I always come in with a good attitude and good spirits that I can play good here. That probably helps,” Pegula said.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
