Jessica Pegula defeated Iga Swiatek in a grueling match lasting nearly three hours to secure her place in the Cincinnati Open final.
The third seed clinched a 7-5 4-6 6-4 victory over the six-time Grand Slam champion in an encounter that saw 13 service breaks.
Pegula is set to face Coco Gauff—who bypassed unseeded Czech competitor Sara Bejlek 6-4 6-1 on Saturday—in the first all-American women’s title match in Cincinnati in 56 years this Sunday.
Rosie Casals previously defeated Nancy Richey to win the tournament’s 1970 final.
Pegula remarked: “I felt like our performance level went up and down, making it extremely hard to establish a rhythm during the match.
“You get matches like that sometimes where service breaks keep happening, and I just had to tell myself to stay patient and not get frustrated.
“It definitely drains you emotionally.”
