Jessica Pegula easily beats Blinkova at ATX Open, secures semifinal clash with Tomljanovic

Jessica Pegula defeated Anna Blinkova 6-2, 6-1 to secure her spot in the semifinals of the ATX Open Austin. The American displayed her dominance from start to finish, asserting her superiority over the Russian, reaching her second WTA semifinal of the season.

World No. 4 Pegula will face wildcard Alja Tomljanovic on Saturday in the semifinals. Tomljanovic, who can be a tough opponent when physically fit, recently triumphed in a thriller against Ena Shibahara, winning in a third-set tie-break.

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First Set

From the very beginning, Pegula (No. 4) was in full control, winning the first eight points consecutively to secure an early break and lead 2-0. Blinkova (No. 74) struggled with her serve, winning just 33% on her first serve and 20% on her second, which kept her far from being competitive with her opponent.

The Russian managed to win her first service game in the third game, but Pegula consistently put pressure on her from the return. Pegula earned another break to lead 4-1, but Blinkova responded by breaking back. However, it was not enough to challenge the American, who claimed the next few games and closed the set 6-2.

Jessica Pegula at 2025 Australian Open.

Second Set

The 31-year-old American's momentum continued as she secured an early break and won four consecutive games, continuing from where she left off in the first set. Pegula remained relaxed throughout the match, controlling the tempo and displaying her superiority, especially with her serve.

Pegula hit 74% of her first serves, winning 75% of them, while Blinkova managed only 58% on her first serve, winning the same 58%. The Russian couldn't find any solutions on either serve or return and never really threatened her opponent. With the score at 5-1 in Pegula's favor, the first match points arrived. Blinkova fought back in what was probably the most contested game of the match but couldn't stop Pegula, who closed it out with 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the semifinals.

Tomljanovic keeps marching on

The Australian has now secured her return to the Top-100 after her third consecutive win in Austin. Tomljanovic has struggled with injuries for years and has had little continuity on the tour in the last two seasons, causing her to drop in the rankings. However, she is having a strong week in Austin, reaching her first WTA 250 semifinal since June 2024 in Birmingham.

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This time, she triumphed in an epic thriller against Japanese Ena Shibahara, where Tomljanovic saved one match point and squandered seven of her own before winning 7-5, 3-6, 7-6[10-8]. It wasn't her best serving day, committing 11 double faults, but she still managed a good first-serve percentage, winning 65% of points on her serve, compared to 64% for Shibahara.

She will now look to make it to another WTA final when she faces Pegula and continue to climb the rankings. Tomljanovic has already secured the No. 93 spot. The head-to-head is tied 1-1, with their last meeting earlier this year in the United Cup, where Pegula won in straight sets.

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