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American players Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro and Amanda Anisimova have advanced to the semifinals of the National Bank Open in Toronto, along with young Russian Diana Shnaider.
Defending champion Jessica Pegula, the highest-ranked woman remaining in the draw, reached her fourth consecutive semifinal at the National Bank Open with a 6-4 7-5 victory over fellow American Peyton Stearns. The third-seeded Pegula dominated the first set without facing a break point and then mounted a comeback from a 5-2 deficit in the second set by winning five games in a row.
Pegula’s next challenge will be Diane Shnaider, a standout player this summer, after the Russian defeated last year’s runner-up Liudmila Samsonova with a score of 4-6 6-1 6-4. Shnaider, who is playing her first WTA 1000 semifinal, will look to secure her second career Top 10 victory, following her win over Coco Gauff in the fourth round of the National Bank Open. This will be the first meeting between Pegula and Shnaider.
Amanda Anisimova, who took a break from the sport last season for mental-health reasons, upset second seed Aryna Sabalenka 6-4 6-2, marking her fifth win in their seven meetings after losing the previous two matchups. Anisimova displayed her resilience by saving all five break points in the first set and coming back from an early break in the second set to win five consecutive games. Sabalenka, who withdrew from Wimbledon due to a shoulder injury and missed the Paris Olympics, struggled with the windy conditions, recording eight double faults throughout the match.
Anisimova’s next opponent will be fellow American Emma Navarro, who reached her first WTA 1000 semifinal by ending the run of lucky loser Taylor Townsend with a score of 6-3 7-6(5).
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