"I think it's great for both of us" - Pegula on facing Jabeur in maiden WTA 1000 final in Madrid

Jessica Pegula advanced to the biggest final of her career by reaching the last stage of the Madrid Open, as she defeated Jil Teichmann in their semifinal clash on Thursday night.

The 12th seed required an hour and 21 minutes to score a 6-3 6-4 victory over her Swiss opponent, hitting 22 winners to Teichmann's 12 as the American relied on her flat forehand to dictate play.

"Teichmann is a super tricky lefty," Pegula said after her win. "It was hard because I felt like I couldn’t get a rhythm, really. Maybe the start of the first set she came out a little nervous and I was able to come out strong, which helped, but it was just tricky today."

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Awaiting Pegula in the final is eighth seed Ons Jabeur, who is also making her debut in the final of a WTA 1000 event. The duo are tied at 2-2 in career meetings, with the American winning the first two (Quebec City 2018 and Montréal 2018) while Jabeur has claimed their two most recent meetings (Chicago 2021 and Dubai 2022).

"For me and Ons…she was ranked [in the seventies] like two years ago, I think I was like the same, so it’s pretty crazy," said Pegula. "It just shows you, hard work and determination, playing week in and week out, just trying to get better every week, you can get to the top as long as you believe it. So I think it’s great for both of us. It means a lot to me."