MELBOURNE : Jessica Pegula advanced to the Australian Open semi-finals for the first time in her career on Wednesday after defeating fellow American and fourth seed Amanda Anisimova 6-3 7-6(1) at Melbourne Park.
The sixth seed, who had fallen at the quarter-final stage in 2021, 2022 and 2023, will face Elena Rybakina for a place in Saturday’s final after the Kazakh overcame Iga Swiatek earlier in the day.
“It’s awesome,” Pegula said of her breakthrough run to the last four. “I’ve been able to go deeper at the U.S. Open in the last couple of years, but this was the first Slam that I broke through at.
“I was a three- and then four-time quarter-finalist, thinking it’s got to be coming. I feel like I play some good tennis here, I like the conditions, and even the matches I’ve lost here I’ve played well.”
Pegula surged into a 4-1 lead as a frustrated Anisimova struggled early on, conceding two breaks of serve in the opening five games as Pegula wrapped up the first set in 30 minutes.
Anisimova showed signs of recovery late in the opening set and carried that momentum into the second, breaking Pegula to move 5-3 ahead before a double fault in the following game handed the break straight back.
The pair exchanged breaks again to force a tiebreak, where Pegula remained composed to seal victory as Anisimova’s frustration grew.
