By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Sunday, August 18, 2024
Canadian Open champion Jessica Pegula out-dueled Paula Badosa 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 battling into her second straight WTA 1000 final in Cincinnati.
A marathon match, dangerous opponent and extended rain delay didn’t slow Jessica Pegula’s roll.
Canadian Open champion Pegula out-dueled Paula Badosa 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 battling into her second straight WTA 1000 final in Cincinnati.
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It is Pegula’s ninth consecutive victory and comes a week after she successfully defended her Canadian Open crown in Toronto.
Today, Pegula showed competitor’s fire and some tremendous resilience coming off an epic three hour, four-minute quarterfinal victory over Leylah Fernandez last night.
If you thought Pegula would fade when a resurgent Badosa was taking charge of rallies in the final set, then you probably haven't seen her play during this hot streak.
“I actually felt good today. Physically, I felt better than yesterday,” Pegula told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj afterward. “Maybe getting that kind of hot day, powering through, out of the way gave me a little extra today.
“I feel good. I’m obviously still a little tired because it’s been a long two weeks with all the crazy kind of schedule, but I feel good going into the final.”
Pegula won the final three games, saving a break point in the last game, to serve out a one hour, 53-minute victory—her third in as many meetings against Badosa.
Buffalo-born Pegula is the third American in the Open Era to reach the women’s singles final at the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open in a calendar year after Rosie Casals (1970) and Serena Williams (2013).
Tomorrow, Pegula will play for a spot in history against Aryna Sabalenka in tomorrow's 3 p.m. Cincinnati Open final.
Earlier, two-time Australian Open champion Sabalenka crushed world No. 1 Iga Swiatek 6-3, 6-3 in today’s first semifinal.
Sabalenka has won four of six meetings with Pegula, who is on one of the best rolls of her career. Pegula will play to become the first woman since legendary Evonne Goolagong in 1973 to capture the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open in the same season.
“It would be crazy to win back-to-back 1000s—that’s all I’m gonna say,” Pegula told Prakash Amritraj afterward. “I’m gonna go for it. She’s gonna be tough. She’s been playing some really good tennis. I’ll just go out there and do my best and compete and try to get it done.”
Pegula has a well-earned reputation as one of the sport’s cleanest ball strikers. She credits this winning run to her increased focus on fitness and movement.
“I’ve been working a lot on my fitness and my movement, especially being out I had a rib injury so we got to do a lot of the lower body for sure,” Pegula said. “I’ve been working on in it a lot and I feel I’ve been moving really great every single match the last couple of weeks. That’s been really helpful and gives me a lot of confidence when I’m out there especially in three sets.”
Thirteen minutes into the match, Pegula powered to a 4-0 lead as a flat-footed Badosa struggled to gain game traction.
Boiling frustration bubbled over as Badosa turned and belted a ball right off the back blue wall in anger while serving down 0-4.
Twenty-four minutes into the match, Badosa held to finally get on the scoreboard punctuating her hold screaming “Come on!”
Playing precision tennis, Pegula was straddling the baseline working Badosa over. When Badosa bashed a backhand into the bottom of the net, Pegula had a one-set lead after 36 minutes.
Pegula won 19 of 31 points played on Badosa’s serve and broke serve three times in the first set.
The sixth-ranked Pegula broke to start the second set and backed up the break for a 6-2, 2-0 lead.
On the verge of being blown out, Badosa channeled her anger into action and amped up the pace of her drives.
The Spaniard broke back in the fourth game. Badosa blasted an ace down the T and a diagonal forehand winner holding at 15 for 4-3.
Just when Badosa was finding her groove another rain delay hit suspending the match.
When play resumed after the longest rain delay of the afternoon, a proactive Badosa pouncing on Pegula’s serve. Badosa broke at 15 for 5-3 and ran off eight of 10 points to snatch the second set on a three-game run.
Forced to a third set for the third time in four tournament wins, the 30-year-old Pegula’s legs and lungs were put to the test.
In the aftermath of her gritty 7-5, 6-7, 7-6 win over 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez that spanned three hours, four minutes last night, how would Pegula pull up in the final set today?
A stubborn Pegula showed toughness fending off four break points, including a fine high forehand volley, in a draining hold for 2-1.
Across the net, Badosa was in smooth rhythm on serve. The former Indian Wells champion won 12 of the first 13 points played on her serve forging a 3-all tie.
“It’s tough: She hits the ball so big and so hard,” Pegula said of Badosa. “When she got hot with her serve, it’s tough. You feel so much pressure on your serve because you know she’s serving well. I think that’s what kind of happened in the second…
“So I knew going into the third I was like okay that was just a warm-up for two games let’s just reset right here and get right back to it. I was just trying to focus on my serve. I knew I could find a way—someway—to get into the return games. I’m a good returner. I felt I could figure it out. I just kept telling myself to focus on my serve.”
Pouncing from a low crouch, Pegula was taking the ball on the rise, jerking Badosa side to side before firing a forehand finisher for 30-all in the eighth game. Badosa slapped her eighth double fault into net handing Pegula a break point.
Playing the backhand cross, Pegula drew a netted error to draw first-break blood in the set for a 5-3 lead.
Saving a break point in the final game, Pegula refused to back off the baseline in closing to raise her record to 28-10 on the season.