Jessica Pegula staged a comeback to end Aryna Sabalenka’s 20-match winning streak at the Wuhan Open, securing a thrilling 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) victory in the semifinals on Saturday. The American sixth seed dethroned the three-time defending champion to book her place in Sunday's final, alongside her American counterpart Coco Gauff.
The match appeared to be over when Sabalenka, the world No. 1, served for a place in the final at 5-3 in the deciding set. Pegula, however, mounted a stunning fightback, winning four consecutive games to flip the script and lead 6-5, earning herself a chance to serve for the match.
The drama intensified in the next game as Pegula faltered while serving for the victory, committing four double faults and letting two match points slip, allowing Sabalenka to force a deciding tiebreak. Despite the setback, the American regrouped to dominate the breaker and hand the top seed her first-ever defeat at the tournament.
After the match, Pegula expressed her disbelief at the turnaround, which marked her eighth consecutive three-set match. “That was crazy, I can’t believe I came back and won that,” said Pegula. “I’m just really proud of myself. I’ve played so much tennis the last few weeks, so many three-set matches, but I feel like I’m very tough right now and I’m just using that as best I can.”
The victory was just Pegula's third in 11 career meetings with Sabalenka and represented the first time in her career she had defeated a top-10 opponent after losing the opening set, having previously held a record of 0-29 in such matches.