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Hard work pays off for Pegula as American reaches Dubai semis
It's the seventh consecutive semifinal appearance in a tournament for the world number five who will take on Anisimova for a place in Saturday's final
- PUBLISHED: Thu 19 Feb 2026, 9:10 PM
At 31, Jessica Pegula is still relentlessly searching for ways to improve her game. Those tireless efforts have started to produce some wonderful results, with the American now reaching her seventh consecutive tournament semifinal.
On Thursday, Pegula overcame a spirited challenge from Denmark’s Clara Tauson, last year’s runner-up, winning a dramatic three-set battle 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to book her place in the semifinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
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The last time Pegula failed to reach the final four of a tournament was at the Cincinnati Masters in August 2025. Since then, she has been ruthlessly consistent, reaching at least the semifinals in every event she has entered — including this year’s Australian Open and last year’s US Open, where she finished runner-up.
The daughter of American billionaire Terry Pegula admitted that newfound consistency in her game is the result of sustained hard work.
“Since last summer, I have been working on a lot of things,” Pegula said. “My coaches and I worked on a lot of stuff to get my game back and to emphasise what I do really well.
“I think I’ve been serving a lot better. Physically, I’ve been feeling good and moving better again. Honestly, I’ve been working on my game a lot, and I’ve become a better player over the last six months.”
Pegula is now ready for Friday’s semifinal clash against fellow American Amanda Anisimova.
“I played her in Australia. I’ve played her many times,” Pegula said. “We’ve had a lot of really close matches. It will be interesting to see.”
Rituraj Borkakoty is Sports Editor and has spent more than two decades writing on his sporting heroes. He also loves an underdog story, so if you have one, share it with him. He would love to bring it to life.
