Jessica Pegula breaks through in Melbourne, reaches first Australian Open semifinal

Jessica Pegula stayed perfect against No. 4 seed Amanda Anisimova—and at this year’s Australian Open—to reach her first semifinal in Melbourne on Wednesday.

The No. 6 seed powered to a 6-2, 7-6 (1) victory in an all-American showdown on Rod Laver Arena. With the win, Pegula improved to 4-0 in their head-to-head.

Five years ago, Pegula announced her arrival on the big stage by reaching her first Grand Slam quarterfinal in Melbourne. Now in the semifinals without dropping a set, she’s one step closer to an even bigger breakthrough.

Read More: No career Grand Slam this Australian Open for Iga Swiatek, who falls to Elena Rybakina

“It’s awesome,” Pegula said in her on-court interview. “I’ve been able to go deeper at the US Open the last couple years, but here was the first Slam that I really broke through. And I was a three-, and then this year, four-time quarterfinalist.

“I was like, ‘It’s got to be coming, you know. The next round, I’ve got to get to the semi!’

“I feel like I play some really good tennis here and I like the conditions,” she added. “I’ve always felt like, even matches I’ve lost here, that I’ve played well. So I’ve been waiting for the time where I could kind of break through.”

Pegula needed one hour and 35 minutes to close out the victory, capitalizing on an error-strewn performance from Anisimova. She struck 20 winners to Anisimova’s 18 and kept her unforced errors to 21—almost half of Anisimova’s 44.

The second set proved more competitive as Anisimova flashed her trademark power, but she struggled to sustain the level. Pegula remained patient and composed, pulling away in a dominant tiebreak to seal the win.

“She doesn't make many mistakes,” Anisimova said afterward. “So if your game is off, like today, then obviously it makes it a bit more difficult… She just plays such consistent tennis, it's not easy, but then again, you have to make at least two or three balls in the court…

“That's how I expected her to play, so it wasn't surprising. I think if anything, I was just more surprised by my own game.”

Into her third career Grand Slam semifinal—and her first away from U.S. soil—Pegula will next face No. 5 seed Elena Rybakina.

Pegula and Rybakina have split their six previous meetings evenly, with Rybakina winning their most recent clash at the WTA Finals in Riyadh. The 2023 Melbourne finalist advanced earlier in the day with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek.