Anastasija Sevastova shocked the tennis world by beating defending champion Jessica Pegula at the Canadian Open in Montreal on August 1, 2025. Sevastova, ranked No. 386 and returning from injury and maternity leave, came back from a set down to win 3–6, 6–4, 6–1 in one of the tournament’s biggest upsets.
Pegula, ranked No. 5 and the two-time defending champion, started strong. She took the first set easily and was up 2–0 in the second. But Sevastova stayed calm and slowly turned the match around. She began hitting more winners and made fewer mistakes, while Pegula started to struggle under pressure.
“I don’t know. Somehow, I was down 2-0 in the second set and started to play better and better. Third set, I played really well. Just trying to stay on the court as long as possible,” Sevastova said after the match.
‘Just trying to stay on the court’
In the final set, Sevastova dominated. She broke Pegula’s serve three times and played confidently on her own serve. She saved 9 of 13 break points and converted 6 of 10 chances to break Pegula. It was a complete turnaround from the start of the match.
Sevastova, 35, was out of tennis for over a year due to a torn ACL and the birth of her child. She returned to competition just 13 months ago using a protected ranking. This win is her biggest since coming back and shows she can still compete with the best.
With the win, Sevastova ends Pegula’s 11-match winning streak at the Canadian Open. She now moves on to face Naomi Osaka in the fourth round — another big test for the veteran Latvian.
“Somehow, I was down 2-0 in the second set and started to play better and better. Third set, I played really well. Just trying to stay on the court as long as possible,” Sevastova added.
Sevastova is next set to lock horns with four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, who beat 22nd seed Naomi Osaka 6-2, 6-4 in the Round of 32.
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