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Jessica Pegula cannot wait to celebrate her 2023 Canadian Open title with her mom Kim, who is recovering back home from the cardiac arrest she suffered last year.
It was a cakewalk for Pegula on Sunday, as she took down Liudmila Samsonova 6-1, 6-0 in the final in Montreal to win her first title of the season. The 29-year-old now has three titles under her belt, along with the 2019 Citi Open and the 2022 WTA 1000 in Guadalajara.
Speaking at her press conference afterwards, the American No. 1 shared her update on how her mother is recovering, revealing that she was much more aware of things now and in a "much better place."
Jessica Pegula was confident that her mother watched her in the final and was very happy for her, adding that she looked forward to sharing the moment with the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres Co-President as soon as she got back home.
"I won Guadalajara last year, and that was obviously the same year that the incident happened. This year I haven't gotten to talk to her yet, but she's much more aware of what's going on and in a much better place. So I think I'll be able to share this more with her a little bit," Jessica Pegula said.
"I'm sure she probably watched and was very happy, and the same for the rest of my family. So, yeah, I'll definitely be able to share that moment with her as soon as I'm out of here," she added.
"It sucks when you feel like you're not on a really fair playing ground" - Jessica Pegula on the unexpected circumstances at the Canadian Open 2023 final
Jessica Pegula also addressed the unexpected circumstances that led to her triumph at the 2023 Canadian Open, with her opponent Liudmila Samsonova having to play both her semifinal and final on the same day.
Set to originally take on Elena Rybakina on Saturday, Samsonova's semifinal clash was postponed to Sunday. While the Russian beat Rybakina 1-6, 6-1, 6-2, she completely ran out of steam in the final and could win just one game all match.
Jessica Pegula admitted that the scheduling was not in Samsonova's favor and that it sucked to have a win like this where it was not a "fair playing ground." The World No. 3 hailed Samsonova for having a great week regardless and hoped she was happy about the runner-up result.
"I know scheduling wasn't in her favor. So it's just kind of -- it sucks when you feel like you're not on a really fair playing ground, especially someone like her who is such a great player," Jessica Pegula said.
"I mean, regardless she had a great week and made the most of it, so I'm sure she's happy either way. But, yeah, just more or less kind of sucks when you have to play someone like that," she added.
Pegula and Samsonova will both travel to the US this week, where they will hit the ground running at the Cincinnati Open in the lead-up to the final Grand Slam of the season at the US Open.
