June 20 (Reuters) – World number one Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus suffered a shock defeat in her grass-court build-up to Wimbledon on Saturday, losing to American Jessica Pegula 6-4 6-7(4) 6-0 in the Berlin Open semi-finals.
The 28-year-old, who exited the French Open in the quarter-finals to Russian Diana Shnaider, struggled to find her rhythm after a slow start, and Pegula took the opening set following an early break.
After a rain delay, Sabalenka took the second-set tiebreak before Pegula reasserted control to race through the decider.
All four of the Belarusian’s Grand Slam titles — her most recent at the 2025 U.S. Open — have come on hard courts, and she is still chasing a first Wimbledon crown after three semi-final runs. She lost this year’s Australian Open final to Elena Rybakina in three sets, a year after finishing runner-up to American Madison Keys.
Pegula, the 2024 Berlin champion, will face either Czech Linda Noskova or the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala in Sunday’s final.
(Reporting by Paras J. Haji in Bengaluru)