Miami Open: Pegula overcomes spirited challenge from Eala to reach final
The American will play world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka for the title on Saturday
Jessia Pegula, Miami 2025
American Jessica Pegula, the No 4 seed, needed all her reserves and experience to overcome Filipino wildcard Alexandra Eala and advance to her first final at the WTA Miami Open on Friday.
Eala, aged 19, had defeated three Grand Slam winners – Jelena Ostapenko, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek, en route to her historic run to the last four in Miami and for a big part of the match, it looked like she will add another big scalp to her name.
Eala led 5-2 in the first set and even earned a set point in the ninth game before Pegula fought back with the help of two consecutive doubles faults from the teenager. The American, playing her third Miami semi-final in the last four years, went on to win the first set in a tiebreak. She also broke early to lead 3-1 in the second and looked to be heading to a straight sets win.
But that’s when Eala started finding the sweet spots on her groundstrokes once again. She won six of the next eight games to win the set 7-5.
Both players went toe-to-toe in the decider even as Pegula appeared to be tiring out. But the American took advantage of her first breakpoint of the set in the eighth game and then served out the match to win 7-6, 5-7, 6-3 in two hours and 25 minutes.
Pegula, ranked No 4 in the world, will play world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka, from Belarus, for the title on Saturday.
In the previous rounds of the tournament, the American defeated qualifier Bernarda Pera (6-4, 6-4), Russian Anna Kalinskaya, the No 32 seed (6-7 (3), 6-2, 7-6 (2)), Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, the No 23 seed (6-2, 6-3) and Emma Raducanu (6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2).
Eala, ranked No 140, won against American Katie Volynets (6-3, 7-6 (3)), Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, the No 25 seed (7-6 (2), 7-5), American Madison Keys, the No 5 seed (6-4, 6-2), Spaniard Paula Badosa, the No 10 seed (W/O) and Pole Iga Swiatek, the second seed (6-2, 7-5) earlier in the week.
Miami WTA 1000, other semi-final result (Hard Rock Stadium, hard, USD 8,963,700):
- Aryna Sabalenka beat Jasmine Paolini (6): 6-2, 6-2
