Kudermetova wins Pan Pacific Open title with victory over Jessica Pegula

Veronika Kudermetova maintained her 100% record over Jessica Pegula to win the Toray Pan Pacific Open title

Veronika Kudermetova wins the title in Tokyo, 2023 Zuma / Panoramic

Jamie Malachy

October 1, 2023

Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis Tournament •Final • completed

See draw

V. KudermetovavsJ. Pegula

Veronika Kudermetova has won the Toray Pan Pacific Open, beating American Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-1in the final to lift the second WTA title of her career.

It was another eye-catching performance from the Russian, who has impressed all week in Tokyo, knocking out top seed and World No 2 Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals, before dispatching fellow Russian Pavlyuchenkova in a three-set epic to reach the final.

In the showpiece match, Kudermetova simply had too much quality for an under-par Pegula, hitting 17 winners to the American’s seven.

The World No 19 broke Pegula twice in each set to ensure a relatively straightforward win was wrapped up in one hour and 24 minutes.

Kudermetova defeats Jessica Pegula in the Pan Pacific Open final

Pegula made life difficult for Kudermetova in the opening set, however. Despite a brilliant start in which the Russian raced into a 3-0 lead – winning ten straight points in the process – fourth-ranked Pegula displayed her tenacity by pegging back her opponent to level the opener at 5-5.

All the good work was quickly undone in a desperately loose service game from the American, however. At 6-5 down, Pegula threw in two consecutive double-faults to hand the opening set to Kudermetova.

The Russian then took ruthless advantage of a wounded Jessica Pegula. With Kudermetova’s return game in scintillating form, she broke twice in the second set to assert her authority on the final and march to a thoroughly impressive and well-deserved win.

“Jessica is a great player, she’s a great fighter, and I prepared myself for the fight,” Kudermetova said, in the aftermath of her win.

“When it was 5-5 in the first set, I just said to myself, ‘Veronika, you just need to fight, you just need to do everything that you can,’ and I did.

“I’m really happy because before, it was not an easy time for me, it was really tough moments,” Kudermetova added.

“Now I’m really happy and I have a lot of motivation for the next weeks.”

Hingis 🌺💐 Kudermetova@mhingis | #TorayPPO pic.twitter.com/6FNAUG92G8
— wta (@WTA) October 1, 2023

It is the second WTA title of Kudermetova’s career, having won the Charleston Open in 2021 – another 500-level event.

It is now also two wins from two for Kudermetova over Jessica Pegula, having won their only other previous encounter in the last eight of the Madrid Open earlier this year.

The American has had a productive week. Coming off the back of a superb summer on the hard courts of her homeland, during which she won her second Masters 1000 title in Montreal, Pegula has looked sharp in Tokyo – particularly during her win against recent Guadalajara champion Maria Sakkari.

It was not to be for Pegula in the Pan Pacific final however, as she came up against an opponent who is very much back on the rise.

Title in Tokyo the perfect kickstart for Kudermetova

The Russian has long displayed huge promise. Nowhere is this more evident than in her results against the sport’s leading players. Kudermetova has now won five of her last six matches against Top 10 opponents, as the former World No 9 continues to show that she can compete with the very best in the world when her game is fully functioning.

Still only 26 years old, Kudermetova has plenty of time to assert herself more in the most significant events on tour, but – apart from a quarter-final appearance at Roland-Garros in 2022 – she has yet to achieve a statement run on the sport’s biggest stages.

Her title win in Tokyo this week, however, has served as a timely reminder of just what a threat Veronika Kudermetova can be.