World No. 6 Jessica Pegula delivered a remarkable comeback to defeat top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) in the semifinals of the Wuhan Open on Saturday, securing a spot in the final against fellow American Coco Gauff.
After trailing 2-5 in the deciding set, Pegula broke Sabalenka twice — first as the Belarusian served for the match, and again to take a 6-5 lead. Although she missed two match points in the next game, Pegula dominated the tiebreak to complete the win after two hours and twenty minutes.
“For what I did in the tiebreak, I’m really proud of myself,” Pegula said. “I’ve played so many long matches lately, but I feel mentally tough right now and I’m using that as best as I can. Playing Coco in the final will be awesome — we know each other so well, so it’ll come down to who executes better.”
Earlier in the day, Coco Gauff powered past Jasmine Paolini 6-4, 6-3 to reach her third WTA 1000 final of the year. The French Open champion battled through a string of service breaks in both sets but found her rhythm late, holding serve for a key lead before finishing the match in control.
“I’m happy with how I played today,” Gauff said. “It was tough, especially on serve, but I stayed focused. Both Pegula and Sabalenka are great players, but I’ll just focus on my side and control what I can.”
Bills owner Terry Pegula, father of Jessica, expressed pride in his daughter’s performance on the world stage. “Jessica continues to show what determination and grace look like,” he said. “We’ve always known how hard she works, but to see her fight back against the world’s best and represent our family name with such strength — it’s truly special.”
Pegula and Gauff will now face off in an all-American final at the Wuhan Open — a showcase of resilience, talent, and the growing dominance of U.S. women’s tennis.
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