Top-seed Jessica Pegula has come from behind to beat Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 4-6 6-3 6-4 to succeed in the semi-finals of the DC Open in Washington, the place she’s going to play Greece’s Maria Sakkari.
The American fired a serve up the T that Svitolina couldn’t deal with to finish the high-quality contest and a riveting 54-minute third set.
Svitolina, who returned from a maternity break in April and made the semi-finals of Wimbledon final month, dug deep to fend off two match factors in her closing service sport however was unable to transform her break level alternatives within the deciding set.
Svitolina has produced gorgeous outcomes together with a win over world No.1 Iga Swiatek on the All England Club in July regardless of the turmoil attributable to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I have tons of respect for her,” Pegula mentioned in an on-court interview.
“She just had a baby, and with everything she is going through with her country, I told her I feel like she came back as a new person.
“I can see the competitiveness in her and I’ve all the time actually revered that.”
Pegula, who won the WTA 500 event in 2019, improved her lifetime record to 3-1 over wildcard Svitolina.
Sakkari beat Madison Keys 6-3 6-3 for her second win of the day after she defeated Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 7-5 6-2 in their rain-delayed last 16 match.
The fourth-seeded Sakkari served extraordinarily effectively, successful 83 per cent of her first serve factors whereas double faulting simply as soon as, to dispatch Keys, who struggled to seek out her rhythm all through the competition.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
