Caroline Garcia booked her spot in the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open on Friday night, defeating an in-form Jessica Pegula in a dominant display.
The charismatic Frenchwoman prevailed 6-1 7-5 behind a terrific serving performance, winning 80% of points behind her first serve. Pegula had been on a tear this week, making quick work of reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the previous round to reach her fourth WTA 1000 quarterfinal this season.
Nonetheless, it was Garcia who seized the early break and never looked back in the opening set, attacking the seventh seed's second serve to force a second break and quickly run away with the first set.
Pegula offered more resistance in the second, doing her best to neutralize the power coming from the World No.35. However, the American was unable to extend the match to a tiebreak, with Garcia feeding off the energy of the crowd to obtain the crucial break and close out the match after an hour and 12 minutes.
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