Miami Open: Pegula Halts Eala's Impressive Journey in Semis, Prepares for Final Against Sabalenka
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Synopsis
In a thrilling semifinal match at the Miami Open, Jessica Pegula defeated Alexandra Eala, ending the young wildcard's impressive journey with a score of 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3. Pegula will face Aryna Sabalenka in the final, aiming to secure her third win against the world No. 1.
Key Takeaways
- Jessica Pegula defeats Alexandra Eala in Miami Open semis.
- Eala's remarkable run included wins over three Grand Slam champions.
- Pegula prepares for a final showdown against Aryna Sabalenka.
- Sabalenka secures her first Miami Open final with a convincing win.
- Both players have a history of intense competition.
Miami, March 28 (NationPress) Jessica Pegula has brought an end to the remarkable run of teenage wildcard Alexandra Eala from the Philippines, achieving a victory of 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3 in the semifinal of the Miami Open on Friday.
After falling behind 5-2 at the start, Pegula made a comeback in the opening set, notably breaking Eala's serve at 5-3 following a double fault on the set point, leading to a victory that lasted 2 hours and 26 minutes.
Ranked No. 140, Eala's impressive journey included defeating Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys, and No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek. She is now only the second wildcard in history to beat three or more Grand Slam champions in a single tour-level event, following Elina Svitolina at Wimbledon 2023. Moreover, the 19-year-old made history as the first player from the Philippines to reach a tour-level semifinal after her stunning upset over Swiatek on Thursday.
Next, Pegula will face world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. The American faces a tough challenge, seeking to secure only her third victory against Sabalenka in their eight encounters, the last being in Cancun during the 2023 WTA Finals.
Earlier, Sabalenka secured her spot in her first Miami Open final with a dominant 6-2, 6-2 win against No. 6 seed Jasmina Paolini. She has now triumphed in her last three meetings with the Italian, each without dropping a set.
The three-time major champion has reached her 12th WTA 1000 final.
“I would definitely say that this was one of the best matches of the season so far. I was just so focused on myself and what I needed to do today. Everything felt like it was going smoothly for me. I'm super happy with my performance. I felt like I was in the zone,” Sabalenka remarked after the match.
In the past two decades, Sabalenka, who lost to Mirra Andreeva in the Paribas Open final, becomes the sixth player to reach both finals at Indian Wells and Miami in the same season, following Kim Clijsters (2005), Maria Sharapova (2006, 2012, 2013), Victoria Azarenka (2016), Iga Swiatek (2022), and Elena Rybakina (2023), as reported by WTA.
