No. 4 seed Jessica Pegula secured her spot in the Miami Open semifinals with a hard-fought 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2 victory over Britain’s Emma Raducanu on Thursday at Hard Rock Stadium. The American, playing in her third Miami semifinal in four years, outlasted the 2021 US Open champion in a grueling battle.
Pegula had a chance to finish the match in straight sets but couldn’t capitalize on four match points in the second set. Raducanu staged a remarkable comeback, rallying from 5-2 down to force a tiebreak, which she won. However, Pegula regained control in the third set, securing an early break and never looking back.
Raducanu’s Fight Falls Short
Despite struggling with the humid Miami conditions and requiring medical treatment, Raducanu fought hard. She had one opportunity to break Pegula’s serve in the third set but couldn’t convert. Pegula then won the last eight points of the match to seal her 19th victory of the season.
Pegula Faces Rising Star Alexandra Eala
Pegula now moves on to face Alexandra Eala, the 19-year-old wildcard from the Philippines, who stunned World No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals. While Pegula is the favorite on paper, she won’t take Eala lightly, as the young star has already defeated three Grand Slam winners in her dream run to the semis.
Chasing Her First Miami Open Final
This will be Pegula’s third attempt to reach the Miami Open final. She previously lost in straight sets to Swiatek in 2022 and fell to Elena Rybakina in a close match last year. This time, she hopes to break through and reach her first WTA 1000 final in Miami.
