Alert: Pegula holds off Badosa in Western & Southern Open semis
Toronto champion Jessica Pegula is through to a second consecutive WTA 1000 final after outlasting Paula Badosa on Sunday in Cincinnati.
Jessica Pegula, the No 6 seed, edged out Spaniard Paula Badosa 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to advance to the final of the Western & Southern Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon.
Pegula, ranked No 6, will battle Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, the No 3 seed, for the title on Monday.
Ahead of her victory, the American beat Karolina Muchova (5-7, 6-4, 6-2), qualifier Taylor Townsend (6-2, 6-3) and Canadian Leylah Fernandez (7-5, 6-7 (1), 7-6 (3)).
Badosa, ranked No 37, reached the Cincinnati semis by beating American wild card Peyton Stearns (6-2, 7-5), Russian Anna Kalinskaya, the No 13 seed (6-3, 6-2), Kazakh Yulia Putintseva (6-4, 6-4) and Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (6-3, 6-2).
Cincinnati WTA 1000, other semi-final result:
- Aryna Sabalenka beat Iga Swiatek (1): 6-3, 6-3