From 6-1, 3-1 down, Pegula rallies past Anisimova to reach Dubai final
pegula came back from a set and a break down to beat Amanda Anisimova 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships semifinal, improving her head-to-head against Anisimova to 5-0 and advancing to her 21st career final on the WTA Tour.
Pegula survives a slow start and turns match around
No. 4 seed Pegula surrendered the first set 1-6 and trailed 3-1 in the second before mounting her comeback. The match lasted 2 hours and 2 minutes, and Pegula pulled even after the second set and then closed out a 6-3 third to secure the win.
How the momentum shifted in the third set
From 4-3 down in the third, Pegula won seven of the next eight games to move in front 4-1, a run that decided the match. She disrupted Anisimova’s rhythm with high defensive lobs and slices, drew overhead errors and forced extended rallies that shifted control away from Anisimova’s early aggression.
Quotes from the court and press conference
“At the start of the third, it was 1-1, ” Pegula said after the match. “I just looked at my coach and I was like, ‘I'm just happy I'm still even here right now. ' She was playing some incredible tennis, and I just came out a little slow. ” She added that holding serve in the second set and staying focused on creating break opportunities helped her stay in the match. In the press conference she said, "I was running a lot... I had to really make it a little physical there for a while. Then obviously at the end when I gained that momentum, it felt like there was a little bit of a lull in the energy where she was maybe, I don't know, a little tired. It was definitely mental and physical at the end. "
What the victory means next
For pegula the win sends her into the tournament final, where she will face No. 7 seed Elina Svitolina. Pegula leads Svitolina 5-3 head-to-head, including a 5-2 advantage on outdoor hard courts, and the Dubai final represents her 10th career final at the WTA 1000 level or higher.
Pegula’s run to the final adds to a résumé that includes three WTA 1000 titles (Guadalajara 2022, Montreal 2023 and Toronto 2024) and multiple runner-up finishes at major-level events. The immediate next milestone is the Dubai final against Svitolina, where Pegula will bid to lift the tournament trophy for the first time.
