Amanda Anisimova beats Emma Navarro to make National Bank Open final

Navarro started to respond, but Anisimova blasted an ace to help her go up 5-2 before holding serve.

With both players taking part in their first WTA 1000 semifinal — one level below the sport’s four majors — Anisimova went up a break at 2-1 in the second set following a long service game.

Navarro broke back twice to go up 4-2 and held serve to grab another game before Anisimova called for a trainer to tape a blister on her left foot. The 23-year-old Navarro kept up the pressure to take the set with another break.

Anisimova, who made the French Open semifinals in 2019 at age 17, went from down love-40 to deuce with Navarro serving tied 1-1 in the third set before finally breaking her opponent for a 2-1 advantage.

Anisimova picked up another break to go up 5-2 when Navarro sent her shot into the net. She sealed the match on serve with an ace to grab a spot in the final at Canada’s national championship.

Pegula, ranked No. 6 in the world, owned a 15-2 all-time record at the NBO entering Sunday, including last year’s victory that followed back-to-back semifinal appearances at the US$3.2-million event.

Shnaider, the tour’s 24th-ranked player, upset No. 1 seed Coco Gauff of the U.S. in the third round before topping No. 6 seed and compatriot Liudmila Samsonova in the quarterfinals for a pair of top-15 victories in Toronto.

Play at York University on Toronto’s northern boundary, which had presented tricky conditions much of the week with swirling winds that gusted to more than 40 km/h Sunday, was delayed a little over an hour by rain just prior to when Navarro and Anisimova were scheduled to first hit the court at 1 p.m. ET.

Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., and younger sister Bianca met Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe in one of two doubles semifinals.

The other saw another all-American matchup with Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk taking on Sofia Kenin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

Amanda Anisimova beats Emma Navarro to make National Bank Open final

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