By Canadian Press

Unseeded Camila Giorgi beats Karolina Pliskova to win National Bank Open title

Aug 15, 2021 | 1:47 PM

American Reilly Opelka is through to the finals at the National Bank Open in Toronto after upsetting Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece 6(2)-7, 7-6(4), 6-4 on Saturday. 

The marathon two-hour, 32-minute match was a battle of wills, with the No. 3-seed Tsitsipas initially struggling to handle the six-foot-11 Opelka’s powerful serve.

The unseeded American saved the lone break point he faced, hit 17 aces, and won 77 per cent of his first serve points.

Opelka will face either Russian No. 1-seed Daniil Medvedev or John Isner of the U.S. in Sunday’s final. The pair were set to face off in the second men’s semifinal later on Saturday. 

At the Montreal women’s tournament, Karolina Pliskova clinched her spot in the final with a 6-3, 6-4 win over the top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus.

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She’ll face either Italy’s Camilla Giorgi or American qualifier Jessica Pegula on Sunday. 

Opelka forced the 23-year-old Tsitsipas into a double break point early, but the world No. 3 sent a cross-court shot well out of his opponent’s reach to take a 2-1 lead.

Midway through the 54-minute-long set, the American hit a no-look, backwards shot between his legs from well below the baseline, only to see Tsitsipas return it across the court, just out of his reach. 

The tiebreak saw the Greek go up 2-1 when Opelka, ranked 32nd in the world, came up to the net and sent a shot well out of bounds. The momentum seemed to swing, then, with Tsitsipas ultimately taking the tiebreak on an ace. 

It was more of the same in the second set.

Opelka’s serve reached speeds of up to 227 kilometres per hour, but Tsitsipas continued to adapt and respond. 

Opelka drew first blood in the second tiebreak with a nifty drop shot but Tsitsipas was quick to reply. The pair traded points until Opelka took a mini break with a well-angled forehand that his opponent sent high and wide. 

The American went up 6-4 when Tsitsipas double faulted. Tsitsipas repeatedly threw his racket in frustration as Opelka finally took the tiebreak. He received a warning for racket abuse.

There were no signs of frustration, though, coming into the third set. Again, the duo each held fast to their serve and attempted to force their opponent into a misstep. 

Unseeded Italian Camila Giorgi has won the National Bank Open in Montreal, beating No. 4-seed Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-5 in the final on Sunday. 

Giorgi, ranked No. 71 in the world, won the title in her first-ever appearance in a WTA 1000 final. 

The 29-year-old Italian used her speed and athleticism to edge the world No. 6, winning 71 per cent of her first service points and hitting seven aces. 

Giorgi secured the win with a break point, her fourth of the match, and tears welled in her eyes as she stood on the court. 

Later on Sunday, No. 1-seed Daniil Medvedev will take on American qualifier Reilly Opelka at the men’s championship in Toronto.

Ottawa’s Gabriela Dabrowski and doubles partner Luisa Stefani of Brazil will also play for a title Sunday when they take on Croatia’s Darija Jurak and Andreja Klepac of Slovenia. 

Sunday’s win capped a stunning run for Giorgi at the National Bank Open. 

The Italian took out No. 9-seed Elise Mertens in the first round, dispatched Petra Kvitova, the No. 7 seed, in the round of 16, and beat No.-15 seed Cori Gauff in the quarterfinals.

A mammoth nine-minute game midway through the first set Sunday swung the match’s momentum. 

Pliskova faced a break point after sending a shot into the net and got the save, only to see Giorgi repeatedly win the point back. The Italian eventually got the break to go up 4-3. Pliskova responded by throwing her racket to the court. 

After having her serve broken, Pliskova missed a number of returns and double faulted to set up a double-break point and potential set point. She saved the first with a massive serve, then sent a return out of play, giving Giorgi a 6-3 win. 

It was the first set Pliskova had lost since the tournament’s second round when she went down 6-4 to Croatia’s Donna Vekic en route to a three-set victory. 

Giorgi was the one showing her frustration in the second set, though, tossing her racket into the net after sending a shot wide. 

She forced Pliskova into a break point on the next point, winning it and going up 3-1 when the Czech player missed a return. 

Giorgi was broken right back in the next game following back-to-back double faults. 

A missed Pliskova forehand gave Giorgi a chance for the match point, but Plisova got the save when Giorgi sent a return into the net. Giorgi didn’t miss her second opportunity and broke her opponent to take the set 7-5. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 15, 2021.

The Canadian Press