Top seed Jessica Pegula advanced to her second final of 2025 with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 win over Ajla Tomljanovic at the WTA 250 ATX Open on Saturday.
Previously runner-up to Madison Keys at the Adelaide International in January, Pegula will seek her seventh career singles title, and first since winning the WTA 1000 in Toronto last summer, on Sunday in an all-American final against No. 5 seed McCartney Kessler.
After a one-sided first set, where an erratic Tomljanovic hit seven double faults and lost serve four times, the three-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist dug in and forced the World No. 4 to play some of her best tennis to reach her 16th career Hologic WTA Tour singles final in two ticks under two hours.
“We were a little hit or miss with our serves today … it was pretty hot today, the ball was kind of flying, but once I started serving a little more consistent, smarter [that was the key],” Pegula said afterwards.
Pegula won her first title as the No. 1 at the WTA 250 in Seoul, South Korea two years ago, and looks to add a second title on U.S. soil to her trophy cabinet. She won the 2019 Citi Open in Washington, D.C. for her first career Hologic WTA Tour title, but hasn’t won a U.S. event since then. Last year, she was runner-up in Cincinnati and at the US Open.
“Every final is new … being the first time I’ve played here, being in the U.S., I like doing well and I always want to show that I’m one of the best Americans, one of the best players in the world,” Pegula continued. “Being able to do that on home soil is always special.”
The U.S. No. 2 hit 31 winners and 30 unforced errors in victory, and rounded into form after the two players traded breaks to start the deciding set. She took the lead for good by breaking Tomljanovic for the seventh and final time for 3-1, and lost just five points in her last three service games.
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