What Jessica Pegula has done which only Serena Williams and Martina Navratilova can match at this year’s WTA Finals

Jessica Pegula booked her place in the semifinals of the WTA Finals for the third time in her career on Thursday.

After Coco Gauff’s win over Marta Kostyuk earlier in the day, Pegula had to beat Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova to advance in Indian Wells. The 32-year-old American did exactly that, overcoming the Czech star in a gritty 7-6, 6-4, 7-5 win to reach the final four, at the expense of compatriot Gauff, who was ultimately eliminated from the year-end event.

Pegula will face Mirra Andreeva for the first time in her career, with the two set to battle it out for a place in the championship match.

Jessica Pegula matches Serena Williams and Martina Navratilova

With her triumph over Noskova, Pegula made history at this year’s WTA Finals. According to Opta Ace, since the event’s inauguration in 1972, Pegula is the third player to reach consecutive semifinals at the WTA Finals after turning 30, following Martina Navratilova and Serena Williams.

Navratilova, an eight-time WTA Finals champion, achieved the feat from 1991 to 1992, while Williams, a five-time champion, did so from 2012 to 2014. Pegula, who turned professional back in 2009, first qualified for the WTA Finals in 2022.

She was knocked out in the round-robin stage that year, but in 2023 Pegula reached the final of the WTA Finals for the first time. Seeded fifth, Pegula won all of her group stage matches against Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina and Maria Sakkari. By playing Gauff in the semifinals and Iga Swiatek in the final, she became the first player to face the world number one, two, three and four at a single event since the WTA rankings began in 1975.

Pegula was handed a heavy 6-1, 6-0 defeat by Swiatek in the 2023 final, and in 2024, she was knocked out in the group stage. In 2025, Pegula reached the semifinals but was denied a trip to the final by Rybakina, who came back from a set down to defeat her.

Jessica Pegula’s difficult task in the WTA semifinals

Pegula will be up against it in the semifinals of the WTA Finals when she plays Andreeva, who has hardly put a foot wrong in Indian Wells thus far. The Russian teenager has conceded just eight games across her opening two matches.

Andreeva beat Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-0 in her first match, and recorded that exact scoreline again versus Sabalenka. She will take on Karolina Muchova on Friday, but the result of that match will not affect anything for either star.

Prior to the WTA Finals, Andreeva’s last campaign was at the China Open, where she made the final before falling to home hope Qinwen Zheng.

O que achou dessa notícia? Deixe um comentário abaixo e/ou compartilhe em suas redes sociais. Assim conseguiremos informar mais pessoas sobre o que acontece no mundo do tênis!

Convidamos você a clicar em Página de Parceiros para conhecer os parceiros do Tênis Portal e acessar seus sites.

Esta notícia foi originalmente publicada em: Fonte original