Aryna Sabalenka’s Wuhan winning streak. Jessica Pegula’s three-set mastery. Something had to give in the second semifinal of the Dongfeng · Voyah Wuhan Open on Saturday — and after 2 hours and 19 minutes, the American’s success in final sets was still in tact. 

Wuhan: Scores | Draws | Order of play

A 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) comeback for Pegula snapped Sabalenka’s 20-match unbeaten streak in Wuhan, and sets an all-American final between Pegula and No. 3 seed Coco Gauff. Pegula will bid for her fourth career WTA 1000 title, and first of the season, against Gauff, as well as a fourth singles title at any level this season.

Pegula came into the match having played seven consecutive three-setters during the Asian swing — and won six of them, including her first four matches in Wuhan. Her third career win against Sabalenka was her eighth, and came with its own incredible theater. 

“I think the fact that I’ve had outrageous matches the last three weeks has
actually really helped me, because I’ve had match points, I’ve saved match points, I’ve been up, I’ve dropped leads. Pretty much every single scenario I’ve been through multiple times before tonight,” Pegula said afterwards.

“I feel like, you know, she’s always been able to raise her level against me when I felt like it’s been close. So I’m glad that today it kind of flipped,” she continued. “I think I was able to raise my level in times when I really needed it. It was tight closing it out, but I just hung in there and kept giving myself chances, and I think did a great job of adapting my strategy and my play based on how the match was going and how I was feeling, and I’m really proud of being able to do that and execute that.”

Other key facts and figures from Pegula’s win included: 

1: Pegula’s win against Sabalenka represented a personal milestone. She had previously been winless in her career against Top 10 opponents after losing the first set. She was 0-29 in those prior matches, and 27 of those were lost in straight sets.

4: From 5-2 down in the final set, Pegula won four straight games — and had two match points to win a fifth straight, and end the match, at 6-5.

5: But in a five-deuce 12th game, Sabalenka saved them both, and eventually sent the match to a final-set tiebreak. In that service game, Pegula served four double faults — her entire total for the match. One came on the first match point, and another came on the final break point. 

7: Pegula broke Sabalenka’s serve seven times in the match, and three of those came in the final set. The seven breaks of Sabalenka’s serve were the second most in a Hologic WTA Tour match for the World No. 1 this season — after Gauff broke her nine times in the Roland Garros final.

19: In addition to ending Sabalenka’s Wuhan winning streak, Pegula also snapped her run of tiebreaks won at 19, dating back to a loss in Doha to Ekaterina Alexandrova in February.

22: The upcoming final between Gauff and Pegula will be the fourth all-American final on tour this year — the most since 2003, which had five. 

“There’s no secrets [between us],” Pegula said of her former doubles partner. “I think it’s gonna feel pretty normal, even though it’s been a while.”

“We know each other’s games so well. I mean, we know each other so well. We know each other’s teams really well. … We know what we’re both going to try and do. And I think it just comes down to executing whatever the game plan is, and hoping for both of us, that it works either way, and just go out there and battle.”