Jessica Pegula, the No. 4 seed, completed the semifinal lineup at the Miami Open with a 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2 victory over Emma Raducanu on Wednesday night.
The American player advanced to her third semifinal in Miami in the last four years by defeating the 2021 US Open champion for the second time in their careers. This win also reversed the result of their previous match in Eastbourne, where Raducanu achieved her first Top 10 victory against Pegula last summer.
After securing her 19th win of the season, Pegula will now aim for her sixth WTA 1000 final, and her first in Miami. She will face Alexandra Eala, a 19-year-old wild card from the Philippines, who caused a major upset by defeating World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the other quarterfinal match on Wednesday.
Pegula missed the opportunity to finish the match in two sets despite a strong comeback in the second set, where she saved four set points to level a 5-2 deficit and reach a tiebreak. Despite Raducanu receiving medical treatment during the humid Miami evening and continuing to fight, Pegula secured an early break in the third set, maintaining the lead to win.
Raducanu had only one chance to break serve in the final set, which Pegula successfully defended in the third game. Pegula then won the last eight points of the match to secure her victory.
`It was a tough match. I played well in the first set, had a slight setback in the second, recovered, and went up 2-0 in the tiebreak, but then things shifted,` Pegula said afterwards. `She started moving the ball very effectively, serving well… sometimes these things happen. I wanted to start the third set very strongly and quickly to take control and prevent it from being too close.`
`I enjoy playing here, I love playing at home, and winning in the Dolphins stadium… I consistently play well here… and I hope the third time`s the charm. I really want to reach the final, and I`ll give it my best shot tomorrow night.`
Key highlights from Pegula`s late-night victory include:
High quality from both players: Over 2 hours and 25 minutes, Pegula and Raducanu played at a high level. Pegula recorded six aces and 48 winners with only 27 unforced errors, while Raducanu had 30 winners and 18 unforced errors, along with three aces. The crucial difference was break point efficiency. Pegula converted four of nine break points and saved five of six.
Will Pegula end the semifinal streak? Pegula has not won a set in her two previous Miami semifinals. In 2022, she was defeated in straight sets by Swiatek as the No. 16 seed, and in the following year, she was upset in a close two-set match by Elena Rybakina, then seeded No. 10, despite being seeded No. 3 herself.
While Pegula is favored against World No. 140 Eala, she will not underestimate the teenager, who has already upset three Grand Slam champions in the tournament to reach her first tour-level semifinal.
