Jessica Pegula sets Aryna Sabalenka rematch in Miami final; Taylor Fritz into semis

Americans Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz continue to progress through the money rounds in Miami.

Pegula notched consecutive three-set victories against Emma Raducanu and Alexandra Eala to reach the title match for the first time at the WTA 1000. She will meet world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday in a rematch of the 2024 US Open final, won by Sabalenka in two tight sets.

US Open men's singles finalist Fritz fought back to beat Matteo Berrettini after missing out on six match points in the second set of an eventual 7-5, 6-7(7), 7-5 victory on Thursday. Taylor Townsend also reached the semifinals of the Miami doubles event alongside Katerina Siniakova, with the top seeds matching their result from earlier this month in Indian Wells.

Pegula's poise sees off young challengers

A veteran of the WTA Tour at 31, Pegula battled past two rising stars to secure her final place. Against 2021 US Open champion Raducanu, 22, Pegula dominated the final set in a 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2 victory on Wednesday. On Thursday, she similarly denied a comeback bid from 2022 US Open junior champ Eala, 19, to notch a 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3 result.

Those dogged victories set the stage for a marquee final against world No. 1 Sabalenka. With a 6-2 advantage in their head-to-head series, Sabalenka narrowly beat Pegula in both the Cincinnati and US Open finals last season, earning a 7-5, 7-5 win in New York to complete a sweep of the season's hard-court Grand Slams.

"I do feel like I'm serving a little bit better," the fourth seed said, comparing her current form to her play in those previous meetings. "Hopefully I can serve well Saturday. I think that's something you have to do against her. She returns really well.

Fritz guts out Berrettini thriller

Six match points came and went in the second set for Fritz on Thursday against Berrettini, with the Italian finding an answer each time to force a deciding set. Despite the frustration of failing to close out his 6-3 lead in the second-set tiebreak, Fritz reset impressively to improve to 5-0 in the head-to-head.

“There’s two options. Get frustrated, lose, and then be even more frustrated about all the chances I blew, or regroup and get the win,” Fritz said. “Now I can sleep tonight and not be so mad at the chances I blew.”

The American narrowly missed a backhand return that might have sealed the victory before the second-set tiebreak at 6-5 in the frame, but Berrettini continued to find his best tennis with his back against the wall to force a deciding set.