Jessica Pegula secured her spot in the semifinals of the WTA Finals for the third time in her career on Thursday. Following Coco Gauff’s victory over Marta Kostyuk, Pegula defeated Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova in a hard-fought 7-6, 6-4, 7-5 match to advance.
Historical Milestone Achieved After Turning 30
According to data from Opta Ace cited by sports.yahoo.com, Pegula became only the third player since the tournament’s inception in 1972 to reach consecutive semifinals at the WTA Finals after turning 30. She joins tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Serena Williams in achieving this milestone.
Navratilova won eight WTA Finals titles and accomplished the feat from 1991 to 1992, while Williams claimed five titles and did so from 2012 to 2014. Pegula turned professional in 2009 and first qualified for the year-end event in 2022, where she exited in the round-robin stage.
In 2023, the American star reached the final for the first time by winning all her group matches against Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Maria Sakkari. She then faced Gauff in the semifinals and Iga Swiatek in the final, becoming the first player to face the world’s top four ranked players at a single tournament since the WTA rankings started in 1975.
Swiatek defeated Pegula 6-1, 6-0 in the 2023 championship match, and Pegula suffered a group stage exit in 2024. In 2025, she reached the semifinals once more, though Rybakina overcame a set deficit to defeat her.
Upcoming Semifinal Clash
Pegula will now face Mirra Andreeva for the first time in her career to compete for a spot in the championship match. Andreeva has dropped only eight games across her first two matches, defeating both Elina Svitolina and Sabalenka by 6-4, 6-0 scorelines. Andreeva is set to play Karolina Muchova on Friday, though the outcome of that fixture will not impact the standings for either player. Prior to the WTA Finals, Andreeva reached the final at the China Open before losing to Qinwen Zheng.
