"One for each of you guys” - Jessica Pegula dedicates Canadian Open titles to Canadian grandparents after successful title defense in Toronto

Jessica Pegula successfully defended her title at the 2024 Canadian Open after facing her toughest challenge in the final. After winning the tournament, the American gave a special shoutout to her Canadian grandparents, who were present in the stands.

Jessica Pegula faced compatriot Amanda Anisimova in the final of the WTA 1000 event in Toronto on August 12. Anisimova came into her first-ever WTA 1000 final after beating four top-20 opponents on the trot.

Pegula made the better start to the contest by breaking Anisimova in the opening game and the last to take the one-set advantage.

However, she could not accomplish a straightforward victory as Anisimova roared back in the match in the second set, breaking Pegula twice to level the scoreline.

The 30-year-old raced to a 5-0 lead in the third set and closed out the match two games later to register a 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 victory and successfully defend her title in Toronto.

In her speech during the trophy presentation, Jessica Pegula took in all the applause from the crowd in the Centre Court of the Sobeys Stadium and did not forget to mention her grandparents, Ralph and Marilyn Kerr, who are from Canada and were present in the stands to watch the final. Pegula also dedicated her Canadian Open titles, one in Montreal (2023) and another in Toronto (2024), to each of her grandparents who were born in these cities.

"My grandparents are here. They are actually Canadian. And if I’m saying this right, I think my grandma is from Montreal, and my grandpa is from Toronto. Yeah, okay, so I have one in each city, so you know one for each of you guys," Pegula said.

Jessica Pegula becomes first woman since to defend Canadian Open title in 24 years

Pegula in action at the Canadian Open (Source: Getty)

Jessica Pegula has now become the first woman in 24 years to win two Canadian Open titles in a row, ending a drought that began after Martina Hingis' victory in Toronto in 1999 and Montreal in 2000. Since then, several women have won multiple Canadian Open titles, but not in consecutive years.

In addition, the World No. 6 is the first player on the WTA Tour to successfully defend a WTA-1000 title after Iga Swiatek's victory in Rome in 2021 and 2022, and the first on the hard court since Ashleigh Barty won in Miami in 2019 and 2021 (the tournament was not played in 2020 due to Covid pandemic).

The Canadian Open was Jessica Pegula's second title of the year after picking up the trophy at the ecotrans Ladies Open, beating Anna Kalinskaya in the final.