2-time defending champion Jessica Pegula upset by Sevastova in 3rd round in Montreal

MONTREAL (AP) — Two-time defending champion Jessica Pegula was eliminated in the third round of the National Bank Open, falling 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to Anastasija Sevastova on Friday.

Sevastova, a 35-year-old from Latvia who was ranked 11th in 2018 but has fallen to 386th, broke the third-seeded Pegula six times on 10 chances.

“Somehow, I was down 2-0 in the second set and started to play better and better,” Sevastova said. “Third set, I played really good. “Just trying to stay on the court as long as possible.”

In the night session, Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek of Poland routed Eva Lys of Germany 6-2, 6-2. The second-seeded Swiatek advanced to face 16th-seeded Clara Tauson of Denmark, a 6-3, 6-0 winner over Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva.

“It’s always fun here,” Swiatek said. “It was a solid match so I’m happy to have a chance to play another one here. The match was different from how we played each other last time. I just focused on myself and knew what my plan was."

Sevastova has played 24 WTA Tour-level matches in four years. She got a spot in the main draw with a protected ranking because of a knee injury. In March 2024, in her fourth tournament back from maternity leave, she tore her ACL at the ATX Open

“It’s tough, but I think I’m a fighter, also on court,” Sevastova said. “I didn’t want to give up. This was really about coming back and showing that you can do it after a torn ACL, after such a setback. It was like unfinished business.”

Sevastova is the lowest-ranked player to beat a top-10 player since Angelique Kerber edged Jelena Ostapenko last year at Indian Wells.

The loss continued a poor run for the fourth-ranked Pegula, who won her opener in Montreal over Maria Sakkari of Greece, but exited Wimbledon and the D.C. Open after one match in July.

“It hasn’t been great, to be honest,” Pegula said. “I don’t really feel like I’m playing great tennis. At times I am, but I feel very up and down, kind of sloppy, which I don’t like. It really bothers me.”

Sevastova will take on Naomi Osaka, who moved to the fourth round with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia.

Osaka, a former No. 1-ranked player from Japan, is playing her first tournament with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, She had five aces and converted 6 of 9 break-point opportunities to win the match in 1 hour, 12 minutes.

“She broke me a couple times, but she’s a really good returner, so I can’t take that personally," Osaka said. "I went in there knowing she’s a great player, and if I give her a chance she’s going to hit a winner on me, so I just tried to keep my pace and stay as solid as I could.”

Fifth-seeded Amanda Anisimova of the United States routed Emma Raducanu of England 6-2, 6-1 at night. Anisimova will play 10th-seeded Elina Svitolina of the Ukraine, a 6-1, 6-1 winner over Anna Kalinskaya of Russia in the late match.

Sixth-seeded Madison Keys beat fellow American Caty McNally 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.

“Today I did a good job of bouncing back after the first set,” Keys said. “Let go of the first set and move on. Happy I was able to do that.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Iga Swiatek, of Poland, hits a return to Eva Lys, of Germany, during third-round match action at the National Bank Open women's tennis tournament in Montreal, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Jelena Ostapenko, of Latvia, hits a return to Naomi Osaka, of Japan, during the National Bank Open women’s tennis tournament, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Naomi Osaka, of Japan, serves to Jelena Ostapenko, of Latvia, during the National Bank Open women’s tennis tournament, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Jessica Pegula, of the United States, reacts during her third-round match against Anastasija Sevastova, of Latvia, at the National Bank Open women's tennis tournament in Montreal, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Anastasija Sevastova, of Latvia, serves to Jessica Pegula, of the United States, during the National Bank Open women’s tennis tournament, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

Jessica Pegula, of the United States, reacts during her match against Anastasija Sevastova, of Latvia, at the National Bank Open women’s tennis tournament, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, in Montreal. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Germany's troubled economy returned to modest growth last year after two years of falling output, official figures showed, as hopes rise that government spending on bridges, rail lines and defense may help end years of stagnation.

The expansion in gross domestic product of 0.2% for 2025 was fueled by stronger consumer and government spending while exports sagged under the weight of more restrictive U.S. trade policy under President Donald Trump, the German Federal Statistical Office said on Thursday.

That follows shrinkage of 0.5% in 2024 and 0.9% in 2023.

“Germany’s export business faced strong headwinds owing to higher U.S. tariffs, the appreciation of the euro and increased competition from China,” statistical office head Ruth Brand said in a statement accompanying the statistical release.

Expectations have risen for Germany to finally see stronger growth this year as the government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz implements plans to increase spending on infrastructure to make up for years of underinvestment. Meanwhile defense spending is rising due to a perceived higher level of threat from Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.

Germany has endured a period of extended stagnation following the COVID-19 pandemic. Higher energy costs following the war in Ukraine and increasing competition from China in key German specialties such as autos and industrial machinery have held back an economy that is heavily focused on exports. Then came Trump's imposition of higher tariffs, or import taxes, on goods from the European Union. The slow growth has also exposed long-term structural issues such as excessive bureaucracy and lack of skilled labor. A stronger euro has also made exports less competitive on price.

A group of leading economists has predicted 0.9% growth for this year but said that forecast could be at risk if the increase in government spending is unleashed more slowly than expected.

The German economy grew 0.2% in the last three months of 2025, according to available preliminary data.

FILE - Containers are piled up in the harbor in Hamburg, Germany, on Oct. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, file)