The last time Jessica Pegula faced a compatriot in the Australian Open quarterfinals, she fell in three sets to eventual finalist Jennifer Brady in 2021.
Australian Open: Scores | Draws | Order of play
Five years later, it was Pegula who reigned victorious in an all-American affair, outlasting No. 4 seed Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 7-6 (1) in 1 hour and 35 minutes on Wednesday to reach her first Australian Open semifinal, where she’ll face Elena Rybakina.
“It’s awesome,” Pegula said in her on-court interview. “I’ve been able to go deeper at the US Open the last couple years, but here was the first Slam that I really broke through at. And I was a three, and then this year, four-time quarterfinalist.
“I was like, ‘It’s got to be coming, you know. The next round, I’ve got to get to the semi.’ Because I feel like I play some really good tennis here and I like the conditions. And I’ve always felt like, even matches I’ve lost here, that I’ve played well. So I’ve been waiting for the time where I could kind of break through.”
It’s the third time Pegula has advanced to a Grand Slam semifinal, and her first time at a Major other than the US Open. She did it by continuing her dominance against fellow Americans.
The win marked her eighth straight victory over an American at a Grand Slam. She also became the first American woman to defeat three compatriots in a single Australian Open since Gigi Fernández accomplished the feat in 1993. Pegula beat McCartney Kessler in the second round, defending champion Madison Keys in the fourth round and Anisimova in the quarters.
She also improved to 4-0 against Anisimova at the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz level.
More to come…
