Jessica Pegula’s run of deep finishes finally found its reward. After six straight semifinal appearances without a title, she broke through Saturday, defeating Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-4 in 1 hour and 12 minutes to win the 2026 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships — her 10th WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz singles crown.
Two days earlier, Pegula had rallied from a set and a break down to defeat Amanda Anisimova in the semifinals, determined not to let another strong week slip away. This time, she finished it.
“It was a great atmosphere, especially the last two nights, not only supporting me but supporting all the girls here that compete and fight so hard every single day all week,” Pegula said during the trophy presentation. “We really appreciate it. What’s most fun for us is being able to play in front of the fans, so thank you guys so much for coming out.”
Her 10th title is her fourth at the WTA 1000 level, as she became just the third American to win the Dubai crown, joining Lindsay Davenport and three-time champion Venus Williams.
In doing so, she claimed four Top 20 wins at a single event for just the second time in her career, after the 2023 WTA Finals. This week’s path included victories over Iva Jovic in the Round of 16, Clara Tauson in the quarterfinals, Anisimova in the semis and finally Svitolina in Saturday’s final.
It was Pegula’s sixth win in nine meetings with Svitolina, but her first with both players ranked inside the Top 10.
From the opening game, it was clear the match was on Pegula’s racket. She dropped the first two points but won the next 10, breaking Svitolina in the opening game and again two games later on her way to a 3-0 lead.
Svitolina took temporary solace in a break for 3-1, but Pegula immediately broke back for 4-1. It was a commanding lead built largely on her forehand, further evidenced by forehand winners to bookend her latest break. After Svitolina saved a set point and held for 5-2, Pegula mixed in a backhand winner to start the next game and held at love to take the first set in 34 minutes.
Pegula refused to let Svitolina build momentum in the second set. After the Ukrainian held at love for 2-1, Pegula answered with a love hold of her own. She then flashed her trademark forehand and paired it with some high-level net play — fitting for a former doubles World No. 1 — to break for 3-2, effectively putting the trophy on ice.
Svitolina continued to fight as she had throughout the week, saving break points in each of her final two service games to keep the pressure on. But Pegula never blinked. She fired one last forehand winner down the line, then sealed her championship effort with an ace.
It was a fitting finish to an exemplary week for the American and, as it turns out, the perfect early birthday gift.
“It’s a great birthday present for me,” Pegula said. “I get to celebrate by flying back home in a few hours. But I’m just super happy to go home with the trophy. It was a great week.”
Pegula, who turns 32 on Tuesday, is the fourth player since 1990 to win multiple Tier I/WTA 1000 titles after turning 30, joining Martina Navratilova, Mary Pierce and Serena Williams.
She is also the second-oldest player to win the women’s singles title in Dubai, younger only than Venus Williams (33 years, 245 days) in 2014.
Final thoughts
This is just the fifth loss in a WTA Tour final for Svitolina, compared with 19 wins. Her wait for No. 20 will extend at least a couple more weeks, but she maintains a 79.2%-win rate in finals and solidified her Top 10 ranking with her run in Dubai.
Pegula has now reached seven consecutive WTA semifinals dating back to last year’s US Open. Should she extend that streak to eight at Indian Wells in two weeks, it would mark her first semifinal appearance at the event.
After winning three titles last season, Pegula is back in the winner’s circle. Her résumé now includes 10 singles titles — four at the WTA 1000 level — a career-high singles ranking of No. 3, and seven doubles titles, three at WTA 1000 events. The former doubles World No. 1 also owns Grand Slam runner-up finishes in three disciplines: the 2024 US Open in singles, the 2022 French Open in doubles and the 2023 US Open in mixed doubles.
With 112 winners, Pegula finished the tournament as the player with the most winners at the Dubai Tennis Championships 2026.
With 40 aces, Tauson, whom Pegula defeated in the quarterfinals, led the field in aces.