JESSICA Pegula beat US Open champion Coco Gauff 6-2 6-1 on Saturday to reach the title match at the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals in Cancun, Mexico, where she will next face either world number one Aryna Sabalenka or Iga Swiatek.
In the first all-American semifinal at the WTA Finals since the reintroduction of the round-robin format in 2003, Ms. Pegula converted six of her 10 break point chances and lost serve just once during the 60-minute encounter. Ms. Pegula broke at love to open the match and attacked her good friend Ms. Gauff’s serve twice more for a 5-2 lead en route to taking the first set in comfortable fashion. Gauff tried to make the necessary adjustments but Pegula was rock-solid at the baseline and sealed the win on her second match point to reach the biggest final of her career. — Reuters