Jessica Pegula has achieved a historic feat by winning the Canadian Open title for the second year in a row. She emerged victorious in the final of the 2024 WTA 1000 event in Toronto, defeating Amanda Anisimova in a thrilling three-set match. Pegula’s back-to-back triumphs make her the first player since Martina Hingis in 1999 and 2000 to achieve this feat in the Canadian Open.
The Canadian Open has a rich history, with the women’s and men’s events alternating between Toronto and Montreal since 1981. Before that, both tournaments were held exclusively in Toronto.
Evonne Goolagong Cawley is among the notable names on this list. Although she finished as a runner-up in 1971, she went on to win the tournament in the following two years when it was played on clay courts. Goolagong Cawley defeated Virginia Wade in the 1972 final and Helga Niessen Masthoff in the 1973 championship match.
Another player who achieved consecutive victories in the Canadian Open is Regina Marsikova. She triumphed in 1977 and 1978 on the clay courts of Toronto. In these two title matches, Marsikova defeated Marise Kruger in 1977 and Virginia Ruzici in 1978.
Martina Navratilova, a three-time winner of the Canadian Open, also joins the prestigious group of women who defended their titles. She secured back-to-back victories in 1982 and 1983, with her 1982 win making her the first woman to triumph in Montreal. The following year, Navratilova became the first player to win the title in both Toronto and Montreal by defeating Chris Evert in the final.
Chris Evert, a legendary figure in women’s tennis, added two more Canadian Open titles to her collection in 1984 and 1985. In the 1984 final held in Montreal, Evert overcame Alycia Moulton, while in 1985 in Toronto, she defeated Claudia Kohde-Kilsch to claim her fourth Canadian Open title.
Monica Seles, regarded as one of the greatest players of her generation, shares the record for the most women’s singles triumphs at the Canadian Open with Evert. Seles won all four of her titles consecutively from 1995 to 1998, making her the only woman to defend the title multiple times. Her championship match victories came against Amanda Coetzer in 1995, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in 1996, Anke Huber in 1997, and Sanchez Vicario again in 1998.
Martina Hingis, a prominent figure in women’s tennis during the late 1990s, also achieved consecutive victories in the Canadian Open. She won the tournament in 1999 and 2000, and was also a runner-up in 2006. Hingis denied Seles a fifth straight title in 1999 by defeating her in the final in Toronto, and the following year, she successfully defended her title by beating Serena Williams in the Montreal final.
In 2023, Jessica Pegula claimed her first Canadian Open title by dominating Liudmila Samsonova in the Montreal final, losing only a single game. She then continued her winning streak in 2024 by defeating Anisimova in a thrilling three-set match in the Toronto final, becoming the fifth woman to win the tournament in consecutive years in both Canadian cities.
Photo from Jessica Pegula (X) Account
