Jessica Pegula defeated Amanda Anisimova, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, to reach the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
There she will meet Elina Svitolina, who overcame Coco Gauff in a marathon three-hour match in the second semifinal.
Pegula has come up short in her last three WTA 1000 finals and will be desperate to end that losing streak against Svitolina.
Which WTA player would benefit the most from playing best-of-five sets?
But how does she plan on doing so?
Jessica Pegula is cautious of ‘overplaying’ against Elina Svitolina in Dubai final
During her semifinal post-match press conference, Pegula shared her thoughts on playing Svitolina.
“I think I played Elina [Svitolina] maybe last time at Indian Wells last year,” she said.
“So maybe coming up a year now since I played her.
“We always have really tough matches.
“We play kind of similar styles.
“I think a little bit of counter-punching, but we can play aggressive.
“We’re very solid, I think, off both wings.
“I feel like with her it’s always a mix of trying to be aggressive but not overplaying because she also moves pretty well and has some good defense.”
Pegula has a clear game plan devised for the final, but how has she fared against Svitolina in the past?
Through eight career meetings, Pegula leads their head-to-head 5-3.
Jessica Pegula and Elina Svitolina’s head-to-head record
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2025 Indian Wells – 4R | Elina Svitolina | Jessica Pegula | 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 |
| 2025 Qatar Open – 2R | Jessica Pegula | Elina Svitolina | 6-3, 7-6 |
| 2024 Olympics – 2R | Elina Svitolina | Jessica Pegula | 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 |
| 2023 US Open – 3R | Jessica Pegula | Elina Svitolina | 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 |
| 2023 Washington Open – QF | Jessica Pegula | Elina Svitolina | 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 |
| 2021 Indian Wells – 4R | Jessica Pegula | Elina Svitolina | 6-1, 6-1 |
| 2021 Australian Open – 4R | Jessica Pegula | Elina Svitolina | 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 |
| 2021 Abu Dhabi Open – 1R | Elina Svitolina | Jessica Pegula | 6-4, 6-3 |
However, while Pegula has had the better of their rivalry overall, the momentum is firmly with Svitolina.
The Ukrainian has won two of their last three, including an impressive comeback win at Indian Wells a year ago.
Whether she can pick up another win in this year’s Dubai Tennis Championships final remains to be seen…
Elina Svitolina previews Dubai final vs Jessica Pegula
After beating Gauff, Svitolina was asked for her initial thoughts about playing Pegula in the final.
“Well, we know each other’s games,” she said.
“Played a couple of times. For me, for now, to be fair, just important to recover physically because it’s going to be another physical match.
“Here, with the conditions, you really have to rely on your physicality.
“Yeah, another final.
“For me, it’s a nice moment, another moment to take this challenge.
“Looking forward to that.”
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Svitolina will contest her fifth WTA 1000 final on Saturday.
She’s yet to lose a championship match at the WTA 1000 level, although this will be her first final in eight years.
Elina Svitolina’s WTA 1000 finals
- 2017 Dubai Tennis Championships [WIN] vs Caroline Wozniacki
- 2017 Italian Open [WIN] vs Simona Halep
- 2017 Canadian Open [WIN] vs Caroline Wozniacki
- 2018 Italian Open [WIN] vs Simona Halep
- 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships vs Jessica Pegula
Can she pick up her fifth title?
Only time will tell.
Pegula and Svitolina will face off for the trophy on Saturday, February 21.
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