No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula staged a semifinal comeback on Thursday, defeating Amanda Anisimova 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 after trailing 6-1, 3-1 in the 2026 Dubai Championships semifinal.
Pegula looked in trouble early as Anisimova dominated the opening set, racing through in just 26 minutes. The No. 2 seed then broke Pegula's serve early in the second set to grab a 3-1 advantage.
However, Pegula responded by winning five consecutive games to take the second set 6-4. She carried that momentum into the decider, breaking Anisimova twice to seal the victory after 2 hours and 2 minutes on the hardcourt.
The win improved Pegula's head-to-head record against Anisimova to 5-0. Three of those five victories have come in three-set battles, including last month's Australian Open quarterfinal.
Pegula advanced to her 21st career final, and her 10th at WTA 1000 level or above. The 31-year-old owns three WTA 1000 titles — Guadalajara 2022, Montreal 2023, and Toronto 2024 — while reaching four additional WTA 1000 finals and the 2024 US Open final.
The victory also extended Pegula's semifinal streak to eight consecutive tournaments, dating back to last year's US Open.
How to watch Jessica Pegula at the 2026 Dubai Championships
Pegula will next face either Coco Gauff or Elina Svitolina in Saturday's final as she seeks her first Dubai title.
The US star leads her head-to-head against Gauff 5-3 overall and 3-1 on outdoor hard courts, while holding a 5-3 advantage against Svitolina, including a 5-2 record on outdoor hard courts.
