Los Angeles, United States: America´s world number four Jessica Pegula beat Australian veteran Ajla Tomljanovic 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 on Saturday to book a title showdown with rising compatriot McCartney Kessler at the WTA tournament in Austin, Texas.
Kessler defeated Belgian Greet Minnen 7-5, 6-4. Pegula raced through the first set thanks to seven double faults from Tomljanovic. The Australian settled in the second to force the decider, but Pegula came out of a trio of breaks with a 3-1 lead in the third and comfortably closed out the match.
“We were a little hit or miss with our serves today,” said Pegula, who is chasing a seventh career title and her first since winning the 1000 event in Toronto last year. That was one of Pegula´s two titles in a 2024 season in which she also reached the US Open final.