Pegula falls early as Anisimova shines and Osaka advances in Montreal WTA 1000

The lower half of the Montreal WTA 1000 draw produced dramatic twists on Friday as Jessica Pegula, the two-time defending champion and tournament favorite, was unexpectedly ousted, paving the way for emerging contenders Amanda Anisimova and Naomi Osaka in Iga Swiatek’s lower part of the draw.

Pegula, seeded No.3, appeared in control early on against Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova, taking the first set and holding a break lead in the second (6-4, 2-0). However, Sevastova’s resilience turned the match around, and she captured the final two sets (3-6, 6-4, 6-1). “Playing someone who has won here before is always tough, but I stayed aggressive and took my chances,” Sevastova said in her post-match interview.

Pegula’s fourth rank at the WTA is not threatened yet as Mirra Andreeva suffered an early exit the day before.

Meanwhile, Amanda Anisimova impressed with a fierce comeback against Magda Linette. Down a set and a break, the American rallied to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, demonstrating form and confidence three weeks after Wimbledon.

Japanese star Naomi Osaka also made waves in Montreal, defeating Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 6-4 with a commanding display of power and control. Osaka converted six of nine break points and showcased improved rhythm on her first serve. This is the fourth time this season that Osaka wins four matches in a row after Auckland, Miami and Rome.

Montreal WTA 1000, other third-round results (IGA Stadium, hard, USD 5.152.599, most recent results first):

• Amanda Anisimova beat Emma Raducanu: 6-2, 6-1
• Iga Swiatek (2) beat Eva Lys: 6-2, 6-2
• Karolina Muchova (11) beat Belinda Bencic (17): 6-7 (2), 6-2, 6-3
• Anastasija Sevastova beat Jessica Pegula (3): 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
• Madison Keys (6) beat Catherine McNally: 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
• Clara Tauson (16) beat Yuliia Starodubtseva: 6-3, 6-0
• Naomi Osaka beat Jelena Ostapenko (22): 6-2, 6-4
• Elena Rybakina (9) beat Jaqueline Cristian: 6-0, 7-6 (5)
• Dayana Yastremska (30) beat Emma Navarro (8): 7-5, 6-4
• Victoria Mboko (WC) beat Marie Bouzkova: 1-6, 6-3, 6-0
• Jessica Bouzas Maneiro beat Aoi Ito (Q): 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
• Coco Gauff (1) beat Veronika Kudermetova: 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
• McCartney Kessler (28) beat Mirra Andreeva (4): 7-6 (5), 6-4
• Marta Kostyuk (24) beat Daria Kasatkina (15): 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4)
• Lin Zhu beat Suzan Lamens: 6-2, 6-2