Playing her eighth consecutive three-set match, Jessica Pegula staged a remarkable comeback from 2-5 down in the deciding set to snap Aryna Sabalenka’s perfect 20-match winning streak at the Wuhan Open. The 31-year-old American triumphed 2-6 6-4 7-6(2), booking her place in the final against compatriot Coco Gauff.
World No. 1 Sabalenka entered the semifinal as the undisputed queen of Wuhan, having lifted the trophy in three previous editions of the tournament. She had also become just the fourth woman since 1990 to start 20-0 in the main draw of the same WTA event. After twice breaking Pegula to lead 5-2 in the final set, the Belarusian seemed poised for yet another final appearance.
But Pegula refused to fold. The American won four straight games to turn the match around, as Sabalenka lost focus. Although the top seed saved two match points to force a tiebreak, Pegula dominated that last stage, ending both the top seed’s Wuhan streak and her remarkable run of 19 consecutive tiebreak wins.
Earlier on Saturday, Coco Gauff battled through a scrappy encounter with Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, winning 6-4 6-3 in a match that featured 11 consecutive breaks of serve. Though the world No. 3 advanced in straight sets, she struggled with consistency on serve, facing five breaks and hitting seven double faults.
The Wuhan Open final will be the seventh career meeting between Pegula and Gauff, with Pegula leading the H2H 4-2.
