Defending champion Jessica Pegula leads American surge into Toronto quarterfinals

The US Open isn't starting for another 17 days, but the U.S. women are already in form: No.3 seed and defending champion Jessica Pegula led a quartet of Americans who picked up wins Friday to reach the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 National Bank Open in Toronto.

Last year's winner came from a break down twice in the second set to ease past another U.S. player, 20-year-old qualifier Ashlyn Krueger, 6-4, 6-2 and book a spot in the last eight. The two players combined to hit 70 unforced errors in windy conditions that resulted from early rain that delayed the start of play by more than an hour.

"It wasn't the greatest tennis from either of us. I just tried to compete, mix in some slices ... and not overplay too much," Pegula said. "It definitely was tough out there, and I just did what I could to try and get through."

Amanda Anisimova, Emma Navarro and Taylor Townsend all matched Pegula's effort without the loss of a set, and as many as six Americans could make up the eight quarterfinalists. No. 1 seed Coco Gauff and former NCAA champion Peyton Stearns are still to play in Friday's later matches.

After losing in qualifying, Townsend was a last-minute replacement for Yulia Putintseva in the field, and she broke new ground with a 6-2, 6-1 thumping of former Roland Garros champion and No.4 seed Jelena Ostapenko, the world No. 11. The left-hander, who won Wimbledon in doubles last month with Katerina Siniakova, had never before reached a WTA quarterfinal in singles prior to her Toronto debut this week.

A win against Navarro next would assure the 28-year-old of breaking into the Top 50 in the singles rankings for the first time after the tournament. Navarro, seeded No. 11, was a 7-5, 7-5 winner over eighth-seeded Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine to book a spot in her second career WTA 1000 quarterfinal after Indian Wells in March.

"I'm just trusting the work that I'm putting in, and I'm having fun," Townsend said. "I'm having a great time, and I'm just riding this wave."

Anisimova, meanwhile, is into a WTA 1000 quarterfinal for the first time since 2022. The 2019 Roland Garros semifinalist, who returned from a mental-health sabbatical earlier this year, was leading No. 10 seed Anna Kalinskaya 6-2 before Kalinskaya retired from the match.