Six Takeaways from NBO 2023: Pegula has her moment, Sinner achieves major milestone

The best showcase of tennis that Canada has to offer is officially in the books.

The National Bank Open presented by Rogers has wrapped from Toronto and Montreal, as hundreds of thousands of tennis fans were gripped by world class tennis for nine straight days.

Italy’s Jannik Sinner achieved a first milestone on the hard courts in Toronto, Jessica Pegula rose to the top in Montreal, Carlos Alcaraz electrified crowds, and Milos Raonic had a swansong to remember.

Here are six takeaways from NBO:

A First Masters for Sinner

The marvel from Northern Italy has his first Masters 1000 crown.

In an upset-filled week at the National Bank Open, it was the steady, consistent play and brutal ball striking from Jannik Sinner that took him to the finish line, as he defeated Australia’s Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-1 to win the prestigious trophy in Toronto.

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It was a moment and milestone he had been building towards for some time.

Sinner, who Carlos Alcaraz had pinpointed as his rival of the new generation, had twice finished runner-up at the Miami Open in 2021 and earlier this season, reached his first ever grand slam semifinal at Wimbledon back in July, and had already hoisted seven career ATP singles titles.

His eighth comes in Ontario’s capital and he was strong right out of the blocks.

In an all-Italian matchup Wednesday, the seventh seed dismantled his countryman Matteo Berrettini in straight sets, then following a walk over from Andy Murray, dispatched Gael Monfils, Tommy Paul, and eventually de Minaur to secure the title.

His semifinal showdown with the American Tommy Paul showcased the longest exchange of the tournament, a thrilling rally of attrition:

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With the title, Sinner now moves to a career high ranking of sixth in the world, and has loudly announced himself as a major contender at the US Open in just two weeks time.

World No. 1s Alcaraz and Iga come up short

The 20-year-old and world number one Carlos Alcaraz was the headline player of the National Bank Open.

Toronto fans flocked to York University to catch a glimpse of the newest superstar in men’s tennis, as over 6,000 alone watched Alcaraz practice on the weekend session, while he had a full house for three consecutive night sessions at Sobeys Stadium.

Alcaraz’s remarkable skills and athleticism lived up to the bill, as he earned a solid win over American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 and dug deep to defeat Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 7-6, 7-6 despite coughing up a comfortable 5-2 advantage in the third set.

After that up-and-down victory, it felt as if the Spaniard was about to hit his peak level — but American Tommy Paul had other plans.

For the second consecutive year in Canada, Paul defeated Alcaraz, this time notching a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win to move into the semis.

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While the result wasn’t what Alcaraz was hoping for, the expectations have noticeably shifted now for the 20-year-old two-time Grand Slam winner.

He is arriving at every tournament as a perennial favourite and will again be the top seed at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati this upcoming week.

In Montreal, Iga Swiatek also fell short of her own personal expectations, bowing out to eventual champion Jessica Pegula in the semifinals.

While a final four result at a WTA 1000 is still a strong showing, her team revealed in the latest season of Break Point on Netflix that Swiatek arrives to every tournament on the calendar with the intention of winning it.

Both Swiatek and Alcaraz now make quick turnarounds and head to Cincinnati as the top seeds of the event.

A Week of Upsets in TO

Carlos Alcaraz was not the only top player to make a surprise exit in Toronto this past week.

In fact, nine of the top 10 players were ousted before the semifinals with a handful falling in their opening round matches.

American Mackenzie McDonald took out world No. 7 Andrey Rublev, 2018 Toronto finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas lost to veteran Gael Monfils, and Denmark’s Holger Rune lost the second night match on Tuesday to Marcos Giron.

Alex de Minaur, who broke through to produce a runner-up finish, stunned the 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev 7-6, 7-5 in the quarterfinals.

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Meanwhile, three-time grand slam finalist Casper Ruud could not escape his round of 16 match, falling to Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 in a match on the Grandstand that lasted over three hours.

As the depth and versatility in the men’s game continues to grow, and we leave the Big 3 era, we can expect less domination at the top of the sport and more parity tournament by tournament.

Leylah takes big step, Bianca has injury setback

She was not only embraced by her hometown of Montreal but also put on a tremendous show for those in attendance at Parc Jarry.

After a solid opening round win over American Peyton Stearns, Fernandez went toe-to-toe with last year’s National Bank Open finalist Beatriz Haddad Maia.

It was a fascinating matchup of two left-handed players with differing game styles as Haddad Maia sought to dictate play with her heavy topspin forehand, while Fernandez was keen to take the ball early, redirect pace, and get to net.

It was a hard-hitting chess match, and while Fernandez conceded an opportunity to win it in straight sets, she’d ultimately overcome her Brazilian competitor 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 in 2 hours, 55 minutes.

The Canadian’s passion and competitive spirit was infectious, as she played to the delighted crowd with fist pumps and arms raised after dramatic points.

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Fernandez was knocked out in the round of 16 by Danielle Collins, but the tournament was a positive step forward for her and a boost in confidence with the US Open fast approaching.

Bianca Andreescu could not produce the results she would have desired back in Canada, as she suffered an opening round exit to Camila Giorgi in straight sets.

Days later, she would reveal she’s dealing with a back injury that will keep her out of Cincinnati.

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Andreescu, who has now returned back home to Toronto, will look to recover in time to play back in Flushing Meadows, the site of her historic Grand Slam title in 2019.

Pegula earns second WTA 1000 trophy

If you’re seeking a model of consistency on the women’s tour, look no further than Jessica Pegula.

The top ranked American woman and world no. 3 has reached the quarterfinals of all four majors, and the quarters or better in seven of the nine WTA 1000 events.

Given she so reliably positions herself in the latter stages of tournaments, it’s perhaps most surprising that she only has three career singles titles.

Number three comes in Montreal and the final was all but a formality.

Pegula routinely dismantled an understandably exhausted Liudmila Samsonova 6-1, 6-0 in just 49 minutes.

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Samsonova was forced to make a brutal same day turnaround after defeating Elena Rybakina in three sets in the semifinals, getting a mere 2-hour break before taking the court for the final.

Pegula is the first American woman to capture the title in Canada since Serena Williams in 2013 and her run of victories was downright impressive.

After routine early victories, she defeated her doubles partner and close friend Coco Gauff 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 in a tightly contested and terrific match.

She then defeated Iga Swiatek for just the second time in her career, overcoming the world no. 1 – and the musical stylings of Rednex – to advance to the final.

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The win in Montreal is Pegula’s second career WTA 1000 trophy, as she won Gaudelajara last season, and no doubt a huge boost of confidence as she heads into Flushing Meadows soon.

Raonic’s Return a Success

It had been five long years since Milos Raonic had taken the court at the National Bank Open in Toronto, and four since he had competed in Montreal.

The 32-year-old huge serving Canuck has returned to the sport he loves after a two-year absence, and promptly reminded Canadian tennis fans that he is still pretty darn good.

In front of a sellout crowd Monday night, Raonic put on a show, defeating world No. 10 Frances Tiafoe 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 in a match high on drama and quality.

The first set featured a wild finish as Tiafoe won the tiebreak 14-12, on a controversial winner where he bumped into the net.

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Raonic recovered from the disappointment of the opening set and promptly got back to work, serving at an incredibly high level and dictating play with his forehand.

He would close the match with 37 aces, just one shy of his record in an ATP match.

Raonic followed it up with a straight-sets victory over Taro Daniel of Japan before falling to Mackenzie McDonald.

While the former Wimbledon finalist has faced countless challenges to his health, he has achieved some of the greatest heights of any Canadian in tennis history.

He’ll now rest up his body and make a return to the US Open this summer for the first time since 2020.

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