Iga Swiatek beats Pegula to reach San Diego Open final

SAN DIEGO: World No.1 singles player Iga Swiatek recovered from being a set down to defeat Jessica Pegula of the US 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals of the San Diego Open to leave her just one win away from an eighth title this season. Swiatek will meet the winner of the second semifinal between Danielle Collins and qualifier Donna Vekic of Croatia.

The Polish player won her 63rd match of the 2022 season, equalling the 2016 total of Germany's Angelique Kerber for the most WTA Tour victories in the past six years.

Swiatek, who defeated Pegula for the fourth time this year, will become the fourth woman to finish the year with more than 10,000 points in the WTA Tour rankings, after Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, Russian Maria Sharapova and American Serena Williams, according to wtatennis.com. Swiatek, 21, is now 23-1 in the United States this season.

Momentum swung wildly in the first set with three breaks of serve. After back-to-back breaks, Pegula faced a third but saved two break points and levelled the match at 4-all when Swiatek missed a forehand wide. In the next game, with Swiatek facing a break point, she double-faulted and Pegula went on to serve out the first set.

Play was suspended for more than an hour because of rain and Swiatek came back strongly to take a 3-0 lead, an advantage she never frittered. She converted her second set point with a rasping forehand that clipped the line, and the match went into the decisive third set.

Serving at 2-all in the third, Swiatek saved all three break points against her and then broke Pegula to take a 4-2 lead. A half-hearted forehand into the net from Pegula sent Swiatek into her ninth final of the year. IANS

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