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"It's tough, it sucks, I feel bad that we weren't able to play on a more fair playing ground," Jessica Pegula commented after her 6-1, 6-0 championship win over her exhausted competitor Liudmila Samonova. This was Pegula's first title of the season but she acquired it with gritty and determined play.
She admits to having a huge edge over Samonova because she had a few days to rest whereas Liudmila had to play 3 matches in two days due to the rain that halted matches presenting difficult scheduling. Jessie had scored points on 100% of her first serves and continued to play a sharpened match throughout.
"Jessica Pegula put on an absolute clinic out here today," former player now analyst Andy Roddick said of the no. 3 WTA ranked player. But Samsonova was given credit by Pegula for even being able to play at such an important match.
"To me, she should be a top-10 players, hopefully she gets there...she's had great results. So kudos to her..." The road to gaining the title for Jessie was emotional as she had played and won against her doubles partner Coco Gauff.
The last time they met on opposite sides of the net, Gauff was the outright winner on grass at the Eastbourne International. It truely was a feeling for both of being weird and awkward. Next it was a day of reckoning as Pegula just won for the first time over the world's no.
1 Iga Swiatek after their 6th meeting. This gave Jessie all the confidence to go after the Canadian title. She felt honored to have won it and Canada feels like home as she briefly said that "my Grandma lives here in Montreal." But being no.
3 carries on a huge responsibility and Pegula admits that "tennis can be really tough...Even when you're winning a lot of matches, you're still not winning tournaments..." Pegula knows that where one match may be easier to handle, the other could be filled with difficulties.
Canada was a tough tournament and Jessica sums up the feeling by saying that "winning a week like this week makes it all worth it and makes you want to keep going for more."