World number one Aryna Sabalenka’s 20-match winning streak at the Wuhan Open came to an end when Jessica Pegula rallied from 5-2 in the deciding set to win and set up a final against Coco Gauff.
Sabalenka had won the past three tournaments in Wuhan and looked set to reach the final again when she broke twice to take control of the third set.
But the 31-year-old Pegula dug deep and won four games in a row.
Sabalenka survived two match points to force a tiebreak but had nothing left as American Pegula won 2-6 6-4 7-6 (7-2).
“For what I did in the tiebreaker, I’m just really proud of myself,” Pegula said.
“I’ve played so much tennis in the last few weeks, so many three-set matches, but I feel like I’m very strong now and I’m just using that. [feeling] as best I can.”
Earlier, French Open champion Gauff put in a stuttering performance but secured victory over Jasmine Paolini to reach the final.
The 21-year-old defeated the Italian seventh seed 6-4 6-3 in a match that featured 11 straight service breaks to reach her first final since her victory at Roland Garros in June.
Gauff may have won in straight sets, but struggled on serve, getting broken five times and serving seven double faults.
“I’m really happy with how I played today. It was tough, especially on serve, but I did what I had to do to get through it,” Gauff said.
“Sabalenka and Pegula are great players, and I’ve lost to them before. But overall I’m going to concentrate on my side of the pitch and try to control the things I can control.”
#epic #Whahan #semiil