Pegula dethrones Swiatek in Cincinnati epic to set up all-American final with Gauff
Jessica Pegula came back from a break down in the final set to defeat defending champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in the Cincinnati Open semifinal on Saturday, ending a match that lasted nearly three hours and featured 13 breaks of serve (BBC Sport).
Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion, had trailed 3-1 in the third set before Pegula stormed back — but that detail alone barely captures the chaos. Thirteen breaks of serve across the match means neither woman could hold her own game for long; every service game became a fight, and most were lost. A break point, for those new to tennis, is the moment the returner needs just one more point to take the server's game. This match had them in bunches (WTA Tennis).
The two had met 12 times before, with Swiatek leading the head-to-head 7-5 going in. This was their 13th career meeting, and the Cincinnati crowd got a contest worthy of the number. Swiatek won this title last year, beating Italy's Jasmine Paolini 7-5, 6-4 in the final after three straight semifinal appearances (Cincinnati Open). Pegula ended that reign the hard way.
Pegula, the third seed, had already survived a gruelling quarterfinal, beating Amanda Anisimova 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(4) to reach the last four (Reuters). A tiebreak — the system used to decide a set that reaches 6-6, played first-to-seven — saw her through that one. She needed every bit of that resolve again against Swiatek.
On the other side of the draw, Coco Gauff made quick work of her semifinal. She dispatched unseeded Czech teenager Sara Bejlek 6-4, 6-1 to book her place in Sunday's final (BBC Sport).
That set up something the tournament had not seen in 56 years: an all-American women's final in Cincinnati. The last time it happened was 1970, when Rosie Casals beat Nancy Richey for the title.
For a tournament that serves as a key warm-up for the US Open — the final Grand Slam of the year, starting in roughly a week — the storyline could hardly be better for American tennis. Two home players, one trophy, and a crowd ready to roar for both.
