Jessica Pegula advances to ATX Open final after tough win over Alja Tomljanovic

Jessica Pegula survived a resilient Alja Tomljanovic and secured her place in the ATX Open final this Sunday. The world No. 4 overcame moments of inconsistency and delivered a brilliant third set to advance to her second final of the season with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 win.

The American No. 2 becomes the first local player to reach the final in the tournament’s third edition. She will face the winner between McCartney Kessler (5th) and Greet Minnen in the second match of the night.

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First Set

The first set was generally dominated by Pegula, who, after securing an early break, saw Tomljanovic break back immediately. From then on, the differences in power and speed of shots were evident, with Pegula outplaying her opponent in almost every exchange.

Despite this, several games were closely contested, with Pegula managing to come through in key points. She converted 4 of her 10 break-point opportunities and saved 2 of the 3 break points she faced. Tomljanovic, who only won 38% of points on her serve, could not hold serve once, and Pegula took the set 6-1.

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Second Set

Pegula began the match confidently, holding her serve, but Tomljanovic’s determination started to challenge her. After defending her service game for the first time, the Australian gained confidence, breaking Pegula twice in a row to take a surprising 4-1 lead.

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Pegula’s level dropped significantly, as her first serve percentage fell to just 40%, and her unforced errors jumped from 3 in the first set to 17 in the second. After no further scares for either side, Tomljanovic won the set 6-4 in 44 minutes, sending the match into a deciding third set with Pegula’s confidence shaken.

Third Set

The world No. 4 got off to a strong start, holding her serve and then securing a near-gift break when Tomljanovic hit two double faults. Pegula took the lead 2-0. Although she faced a break against her, she quickly broke back and held on to her serve to stay in front.

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Tomljanovic won 8 of the last 9 points on her serve but was never able to recover the break deficit. The Australian finishes her tournament with a positive note, as she will climb 18 spots in the rankings and return to the top-100.

On the other hand, Pegula will play in her second final of the season—her first was a loss to Madison Keys at the Adelaide International. She will face the winner of McCartney Kessler and Greet Minnen in search of her first title since August 2024 at the Canadian Open.

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