Jessica Pegula has stormed into the semifinals of the Australian Open after defeating fellow American Amanda Anisimova.
Pegula beat Anisimova 6-2, 7-6(7-1) in their quarterfinal at Rod Laver Arena, which lasted one hour and 35 minutes.
The winner of the all-American WTA tie will now return to the same venue for an Australian Open semifinal clash with Elena Rybakina.
Rybakina defeated Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 at Rod Laver Arena, with their match also lasting one hour and 35 minutes.
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Jessica Pegula praises Amanda Anisimova’s movement after beating her
Pegula now turns her focus to Rybakina, although she was first tasked with discussing Anisimova and the fact that she had beaten her in all three of their previous matches, although they hadn’t played since she became a top 10 player.
When asked how much confidence that gave her, along with how well she’s been playing, Pegula said: “It definitely helps when you have a good record against somebody.
“I think you kind of know that you can beat them no matter the ranking. I think that always is kind of in the back of your head.
“But I have come to playing her a few times. We didn’t play each other in Beijing. We didn’t play each other the Finals. I was kind of interested to see what she’s kind of doing differently as far as being a top player.
“So I knew that was going to be kind of a challenge, but I honestly really relied on a lot of my strategy and stuff that I’ve been working on with my team to really kind of pull me through there at the end.
“So, I mean, yeah, I think she’s definitely playing better, I think moving a bit better. Her rally tolerance seems to be a little bit higher.
“But yeah, just happy with kind of me just trusting my game plan and some things that I felt like I could pick up on. I think that kind of helped me.”
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Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina can’t be separated before Australian Open match
Pegula is now 4-0 against Anisimova following their match in Melbourne, which is hugely impressive from the former.
But it is a different story between the victorious American and Rybakina, who are tied on three wins each from their six WTA meetings.
That includes a recent semifinal clash at the 2025 WTA Finals, which the Kazakhstan ace won before going on to lift the trophy.
| Year | Tournament | Round | Surface | Winner |
| 2025 | WTA Finals | Semifinal | Hard | Rybakina |
| 2025 | BJK Cup | Quarterfinal | Hard | Rybakina |
| 2023 | WTA Finals | Group stage | Hard | Pegula |
| 2023 | Miami | Semifinal | Hard | Rybakina |
| 2022 | Mexico | Round of 32 | Hard | Pegula |
| 2022 | Miami | Round of 32 | Hard | Pegula |
Similar stakes are now at play in Melbourne, with a final spot on the cards for the winner, against either Aryna Sabalenka or Elina Svitolina.
Their wins over Iva Jovic and Coco Gauff respectively have ensured that Pegula is the last American remaining at the Grand Slam.
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