Will Pegula's Canadian success continue in Cincinnati?

She was born in Buffalo, a few lengthy lobs across the Canadian border and a two-hour drive from Toronto -- maybe that’s why Jessica Pegula owns the National Bank Open.

On Monday night in Toronto, she defeated Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 to follow on last year’s victory in Montreal. It was the first title defense of her career, and she’s the first to do it in Canada since Martina Hingis (1999-2000), her idol growing up.

“It’s pretty amazing that my name gets to be up there not only once but twice now on that list of people,” Pegula said. “It’s a little bit of history that gets to stay with me forever, so that was really cool.”

Pegula holds off Anisimova to win second straight National Bank Open title

Pegula is now 17-2 at the National Bank Open -- only Monica Seles has a better winning percentage. Three of her career six titles have come in prestigious WTA 1000 events.

Cincinnati: Scores| Order of play | Draw

It’s been an uncommonly disjointed season for Pegula. A neck injury forced her to miss the Middle East swing earlier this year and a rib issue kept her out of Roland Garros.

After winning the title on grass in Berlin, defeating Coco Gauff and Olympic silver medalist Donna Vekic along the way, Pegula lost three of five matches -- the last to Elina Svitolina in the second round of the Olympic Games.

Back on the more-comfortable hard courts in Canada, Pegula knocked off, in order, Karolina Pliskova, fellow Americans Ashlyn Krueger and Peyton Stearns, Diana Shnaider and then the resurgent Anisimova.

“My grandparents are here, that are actually Canadian,” Pegula told the crowd at the trophy ceremony. “My grandma’s from Montreal and my grandpa’s from Toronto. Do I have that right?”

Her smiling grandparents nodded.

“Yeah?” Pegula said. “So I have one in each city, so that’s one [title] for each of you guys.”

The addition of the Olympics to the 2024 calendar led to a compressed summer schedule -- to the point that they were still playing the last round of qualifying in Cincinnati when Pegula and Anisimova laced up for the final.

And so, just like that, we’re contemplating the compelling storylines for the 27^th edition of the Cincinnati Open where main-draw play begins Tuesday. Can Pegula keep up her hot streak? We’ll find out this week. But in the meantime, here are a few other storylines to follow:

How will Zheng Qinwen respond after the biggest win of her life?

She ran the table at the Paris Olympics, winning all six of her matches, the last one in straight sets over Donna Vekic. That was 10 days ago. Can the 21-year-old from China reset and go deep in Cincinnati?

Recent history says it’s possible. Belinda Bencic won gold in Tokyo three years ago, defeating Marketa Vondrousova in a three-set final. She came back in Cincinnati with a first-round win -- over Vondrousova. Bencic won two more matches before bowing out in the quarterfinals to fellow Swiss Jil Teichmann.

Eight years ago, after winning gold in Rio de Janeiro, Monica Puig lost her first match at the US Open to Zheng Saisai in straight sets.

What will we see from World No.1 Iga Swiatek?

The overwhelming favorite to win gold at Roland Garros, Swiatek lost in the semifinals to Zheng. The next day she rallied to take bronze with a win over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. Speaking to reporters in Cincinnati, she called the Olympic experience “stressful.”

How Swiatek is finding her calm after a summer of nonstop chaos

Swiatek won her fourth French Open title in June, but she’s also compiled a lethal record at this year’s WTA 1000 events. In the 15 years they’ve been playing these tournaments, only Serena Williams, in 2013, managed to capture five in a single season. Swiatek, after winning in Doha, Indian Wells, Madrid and Rome, could equal that mark.

A title in Cincinnati would give Swiatek a total of 10 WTA 1000s, equal to Victoria Azarenka and a total surpassed only by Williams’ 13.

Can Elena Rybakina find her rhythm?

She’s sitting at No.2 in the PIF race to the WTA Finals, has already collected titles in Brisbane, Abu Dhabi and Stuttgart and won 40 of 48 matches.

So why is it so hard to assess her chances? Because Rybakina hasn’t played in one month.

The 25-year-old from Kazakhstan withdrew from the Olympics with “acute bronchitis.” She’s been dogged by illness this year, missing Indian Wells and, as the defending champion, Rome. More recently, she withdrew from a quarterfinal match in Berlin.

Which of the four wild cards could break out?

It’s a good group. Peyton Stearns, ranked No.53, took out Victoria Azarenka and Madison Keys on the way to the quarterfinals in Toronto. She gets resurgent Paula Badosa, the recent champion in Washington, D.C., in the first round.

Caroline Wozniacki, at 34, is playing a limited schedule but reached the quarterfinals at Indian Wells. Bianca Andreescu, after a nine-month sabbatical, has won eight of 13 matches. She gets a qualifier in the first round (Elina Avanesyan), as does No.46-ranked Caroline Dolehide (Taylor Townsend) -- who defeated Anisimova in the D.C. quarterfinals.

Can Taylor Townsend keep it rolling?

After losing her first career WTA 1000 quarterfinal in Canada, Townsend made the decision to drive overnight to Cincinnati for qualifying. She defeated Chloe Paquet in the first round and, on Monday, advanced to the main draw with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Katie Volynets.

Taylor Townsend goes full Steph Curry in Cincinnati after qualifying win

It’s been a great year -- particularly in doubles -- for the 28-year-old mother of 3-year-old son Adyn. Playing with Beatriz Haddad Maia, she won the title in Adelaide. She and Katerina Siniakova won the Wimbledon title (her first in a Grand Slam) and a few weeks ago hoisted the Washington, D.C., trophy with Asia Muhammad.

Townsend and Siniakova are the top-seeded team in doubles.