Jessica Pegula now 5-0 against Amanda Anisimova after working way back into Dubai semifinal

Jessica Pegula knows what it takes to get across the line against Amanda Anisimova.

In late January, the Buffalo, N.Y. native took their Australian Open quarterfinal to remain undefeated in the pair’s head-to-head series. Less than a month later, Pegula now finds herself with a 5-0 mark against the two-time Grand Slam finalist.

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Anisimova was in control to reverse the trend Friday, until Pegula surged with a come-from-behind victory to reach the title match at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. After dropping nine of the first 11 games, the latter seeing her miss a 0-40 opportunity to break her countrywoman, Pegula roared back to prevail with 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 win.

“When you come out slow against Amanda, she can really just wipe you off the court, which is what she was doing,” Pegula reflected during her on-court interview after winning two more total points in the contest.

“I had some break points in the first set, even though it was convincingly the other way, and I knew I could get some break points back. That's really all I was focusing on.”

The 31-year-old is off to a flying start to the 2026 season, building a 12-2 record. Her three Top 10 victories have been posted against fellow Americans, having ousted reigning champion Madison Keys in Melbourne ahead of her win over Anisimova Down Under.

All three of Pegula’s previous WTA 1000 titles have come on hard courts, though the trio of those successes were realized on North American soil (2022 Guadalajara, 2023 Montréal, 2024 Toronto). The No. 4 seed is looking to snap a three-match losing streak in 1000-level finals, with her most recent runner-up finish coming at the hands of Coco Gauff in Wuhan last October.

A rematch with the two-time major winner Saturday is a possibility. Gauff takes on Elina Svitolina in another Australian Open quarterfinal rematch, one that saw the Ukrainian concede just three games in a 59-minute rout.