American top seed Jessica Pegula saved four match points to defeat two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka on Friday, advancing to the semifinals of the WTA Charleston Open. In a thrilling quarter-final match that lasted two hours and 36 minutes, Pegula emerged victorious with a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7) win.
The intense battle saw Pegula squander four match points before denying Azarenka’s own four chances to clinch the match. The decisive moment came when Azarenka hit a forehand service return long, sealing Pegula’s place in the next round.
“That was an emotional roller coaster,” Pegula reflected after the match. “It was like that the entire match. I was playing really well and then I got frustrated I didn’t break in the second and she kind of turned it up a gear. I was able to get back in the third but it was really up and down from the end of the second, start of the third. At the end, it was really windy so a lot of awkward points. It’s tough when it’s windy, playing with your nerves as well. I’m just happy I got through.”
Pegula will face fourth seed Daria Kasatkina in the semifinals on Saturday. Kasatkina staged her own comeback, defeating Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-3 in a match that extended over two hours and 42 minutes.
