Jessica Pegula, the No. 4 seed, secured her place in the Miami Open semifinals by defeating Emma Raducanu in a compelling match that concluded Wednesday night at Hard Rock Stadium. The final score was 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2.
Pegula`s victory marks her third semifinal appearance in Miami in the past four years. This win against the 2021 US Open champion is her second in three career matches against Raducanu. It also avenges her loss to Raducanu at Eastbourne last summer, where Raducanu achieved her first Top 10 victory.
With her 19th win of the season, Pegula is now one step closer to her sixth WTA 1000 final, and her first in Miami. Her next opponent is Alexandra Eala, a 19-year-old wildcard from the Philippines. Eala, a Cinderella story of the tournament, caused a major upset by defeating World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the other quarterfinal.
Pegula had an opportunity to finish the match in two sets but faced strong resistance from Raducanu in the second. Raducanu fought back admirably, saving four set points to recover from a 5-2 deficit and force a tiebreak. Despite receiving medical attention due to the humid Miami conditions, Raducanu continued to compete fiercely. However, an early break in the third set gave Pegula the decisive advantage.
Raducanu had a chance to break back in the third game of the final set, but Pegula successfully defended her serve. Pegula then dominated the remainder of the match, winning the last eight points to seal her victory.
Reflecting on the match, Pegula acknowledged the high level of play from both competitors. She noted her strong first set, a slight dip in the second, and her determination to start the third set aggressively. Pegula expressed her love for playing in Miami and her strong desire to reach the final this year.
Key Match Stats: The intense match lasted over 2 hours and 25 minutes, with both Pegula and Raducanu demonstrating impressive tennis. Pegula recorded 48 winners, including six aces, while committing only 27 unforced errors. Raducanu also played well, hitting 30 winners with 18 unforced errors and three aces. A crucial factor was break point conversion, where Pegula capitalized on four of nine opportunities and saved five of six break points against her.
Pegula`s Miami Semifinal History: Pegula has yet to win a set in her previous two Miami Open semifinal appearances. In 2022, she lost to Swiatek, and in 2023, she was defeated by Elena Rybakina. Despite being favored against Eala, Pegula is aware of the young player`s potential, especially after Eala`s victories over multiple Grand Slam champions in this tournament.
Rupert Caldwell