Pegula breaks Melbourne curse and storms into Australian Open semifinals
A familiar rival, a different outcome
Jessica Pegula booked her place in the last four at the Australian Open with a straight sets victory over fellow American Amanda Anisimova on Rod Laver Arena. Pegula won 6,2, 7,6(1) in a match that highlighted her consistency and composure at key moments.
According to Tennis.com, the result extended Pegula’s perfect record against Anisimova to four wins from four meetings and kept her unbeaten in sets throughout this year’s tournament.
Melbourne rewards patience
The Australian Open has long been a setting where Pegula showed promise without making the decisive leap. Five years ago, the tournament marked her first Grand Slam quarterfinal and since then she has repeatedly hovered around the same stage.
This time, she moved beyond it.
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Speaking on court after the match, Pegula reflected on the significance of the moment. “It’s awesome,” she said. “I’ve been able to go deeper at the US Open the last couple years, but here was the first Slam that I really broke through.”
She also acknowledged how close she felt to the milestone in recent seasons, saying, “It’s got to be coming, you know. The next round, I’ve got to get to the semi.”
Control over power
The quarterfinal lasted one hour and 35 minutes and unfolded largely on Pegula’s terms. Statistics published by Tennis.com show she finished with 20 winners and just 21 unforced errors, while Anisimova struggled to rein in her power and committed 44 mistakes.
Anisimova briefly raised her level in the second set, striking the ball more freely from the baseline, but Pegula absorbed the pressure and dominated the tiebreak to close out the match.
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Afterward, Anisimova pointed to Pegula’s steadiness as a deciding factor. “She doesn't make many mistakes,” she said, adding that the consistency made it difficult to recover once her own level dipped.
A new test awaits in familiar territory
The semifinal will be Pegula’s third appearance at this stage of a Grand Slam and her first outside the United States. Her next opponent will be fifth seed Elena Rybakina.
According to Tennis.com, Pegula and Rybakina have split their six previous meetings evenly, though Rybakina won their most recent encounter at the WTA Finals. Earlier on Wednesday, the Kazakh advanced by defeating world No. 2 Iga Swiatek to set up a clash that will test whether Pegula’s Melbourne breakthrough can go even further.
Sources, Tennis.com
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