Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, August 20, 2026
Photo credit: National Bank Open Facebook
In a clash of clean ball strikers with jolting first-strike power, Jessica Pegula continues to impose the last word.
A calm Pegula struck with conviction in the tiebreaker squeezing out a thrilling 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(4) triumph over Amanda Anisimova to battle into her seventh semifinal of the season at the Cincinnati Open.
A quality match crackled with big strikes from both women escalating into a pulsating 27-shot rally in the sixth point of the tense tiebreaker.
Trailing 3-4 in the tiebreaker, Pegula shrewdly targeted the Anisimova forehand drawing four straight forehand errors to close in two hours, 14 minutes.
“I mean Amanda’s an amazing player an amazing ball striker,” said Pegula, who left the court for a treatment timeout trailing 0-3 in the second set. “I know that I have a good record against her, but literally every single match is like it was today.
“So I know that I have to try and survive. Sometimes, she can play lights out tennis where there’s not much you can do, like in the second set.
“But I think I was starting to get momentum at the end of the set and then take it into the third and kind of get ahead. But it still wasn’t enough. But I got there.”
The third-seeded Pegula will face the winner of tonight’s quarterfinal between No. 2 Elena Rybakina and seventh-seeded Iga Swiatek. That match is a rematch of the Toronto final that Swiatek won 6-2, 6-3 to capture her first title of the year and take a 7-6 lead in her head-to-head vs. Rybakina.
Tonight’s quarterfinal carries global repercussions. Following Sara Bejlek’s 7-6, 6-4 upset of top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, Rybakina can supplant Sabalenka as new world No. 1 if she reaches the Cincinnati final.
Pegula, who leads the WTA Tour in match wins with a 44-11 record, improved to 16-5 in three-setters this season. The 32-year-old Pegula’s precision under pressure, stamina and the fact she wasted almost no energy exerting frustration during this tight test, helped her maintain her mastery over Anisimova.
Buffalo native Pegula is 6-0 lifetime vs. Anisimova though four of those six matches have gone the distance, including a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) victory in Charleston two years ago.
It’s a frustrating setback for Anisimova, who came back from a double-break deficit in the decider, broke with a barrage of backhands when Pegula served for it at 5-4 and fired a forehand pass crosscourt for a 4-3 lead in the breaker.
Credit Pegula for drawing errors from her opponent’s forehand to sweep the final four points and the victory.
Anisimova’s backhand is arguably the most damaging two-hander in the sport. Her forehand is not quite as lethal or reliable, if you can make her hit in on the run and play low to that wing.
The 2025 AO champion Madison Keys blitzed Anisimova 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in an all-American showdown that popped with pyrotechnic power on Centre Court on a Fourth of July showdown at Wimbledon last month. Keys unleashed a barrage of forehands in the decider fueling further frustration in her fellow heavy hitter.
“I’ve tried everything on the forehand—I’ve tried 20 different forehands,” a frazzled Anisimova said to herself prompting a fan to offer encouragement.
Though Anisimova hit some forceful forehands today, Pegula made her hit her weaker wing on pivotal points.
Six years after their first meeting at the 2020 Cincinnati, staged in Flushing Meadows because of COVID-19, Anisimova and Pegula stood smiling shoulder to shoulder for the traditional pre-match photo today.
It was the third all-American Cincinnati quarterfinal since 2000 following Serena Williams against Amy Frazier in 2006 and Madison Keys vs. Venus Williams in 2019.
Eight minutes into the match, Pegula reminded why she’s turned this rivalry into one-way traffic. Pegula pumped a forehand down the line for double break point. Anisimova connected on a couple of heavy serves to save both, including firing a forehand crosscourt to save the second break point.
Flicking another forehand down the line earned Pegula a third break point. Anisimova went for the ace, but missed the center stripe on her first serve, then double faulted long on the second. Pegula’s pressure provoked the break for 2-1.
Mixing the pace and direction on serve, Pegula cruised through a confident hold at 15 stretching her lead to 3-1.
A clash between two of the sport’s purest ball strikers saw Pegula deploy those down the line drives at the right times—and repeatedly target Anisimova’s forehand return—in sustaining her lead.
Anisimova threw down a love hold to cut the deficit to 4-5.
Contesting her 11th quarterfinal of the year, the Charleston champion cranked a slice serve down the T then cracked a forehand swing volley winner sealing the 33-minute opener with a love hold.
Turning the tables in set two, Anisimova was stepping into her shots asserting her aggression. Pegula missed a forehand drive down the line as Anisimova broke for 2-0 then backed up the break for 3-0 after 44 minutes.
The third-seeded Pegula left the court for treatment. When she returned, Anisimova broke immediately for 4-0.
Torching her two-hander down the line, Anisimova ended an aggressive set with a bang to force a third set at the 74-minute mark.
For the fourth time in six meetings the pair would go the distance.
After a clothing change break, Pegula came back to open the decider with a break.
Blitzing a backhand return winner down the line, Pegula gained the double-break advantage at 3-0. Though Pegula was a point away from 4-0, Anisimova was not having it.
A fine flicked dropper from Pegula floated into the front court. Anisimova ran it down and rifled a backhand off the baseline breaking in the fourth game.
Blasting her first ace down the T helped Anisimova hold and close the gap to 2-3.
Down 3-5, Anisimova stormed through eight of the next 10 points drilling her backhand to break when Pegula served for the match at 5-4.Anisimova navigated a gritty hold with a diagonal forehand strike for 6-5 before Pegula answered holding at 15 to force the tiebreaker.
Playing higher percentage drives, Pegula was down 2-3 when she won that leg and lung-sapping 27-shot rally on a netted forehand from Anisimova to level at 3-all. When Anisimova fired a forehand pass she was three points from her first win over Pegula, but the third seed shut it down to maintain mastery of the two-time major finalist.
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