Melbourne: On her fourth attempt, Jessica Pegula finally cracked the Australian Open semifinal barrier, powering past compatriot Amanda Anisimova in straight sets to book her place in the last four at Melbourne Park.
The American sixth seed delivered a composed 6-2, 7-6(1) victory in one hour and 35 minutes on Wednesday, extending her dominance over fellow Americans and setting up a high-stakes semifinal clash with Elena Rybakina.
Pegula, who had previously stalled at the quarterfinal stage in Melbourne on three occasions, showed maturity and patience against the aggressive Anisimova. After cruising through the opening set, Pegula weathered a tougher second before dominating the tiebreak to seal the milestone win.
“It’s awesome,” Pegula said in her on-court interview. “This was the first Slam where I felt like I kept knocking on the door. I play really good tennis here, I like the conditions, and I knew the breakthrough had to come.”
This marks Pegula’s third Grand Slam semifinal overall and her first outside the US Open, where she has enjoyed consistent deep runs in recent years.
The victory also underlined Pegula’s authority against her compatriots. She has now won eight consecutive Grand Slam matches against American opponents and became the first American woman since Gigi Fernández in 1993 to defeat three compatriots in a single Australian Open.
During her Melbourne run, Pegula defeated McCartney Kessler in the second round, reigning champion Madison Keys in the fourth round, and Anisimova in the quarterfinals. She also improved her head-to-head record against Anisimova to 4-0 at WTA Tour level.
Standing between Pegula and a maiden Australian Open final is Elena Rybakina, setting the stage for a heavyweight semifinal as the American looks to turn her long-awaited Melbourne breakthrough into something even bigger.
Source: WTA
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