They say some matches break you and some matches build you. Under the bright lights of Wuhan, Jessica Pegula chose to build something unforgettable. Down a set. Facing the world No. 1. Up against a 20-match unbeaten streak. Most players crumble there. Pegula didn’t. She rallied back to snap Aryna Sabalenka’s dominant run and book her spot in a rare all-American WTA 1000 final against Coco Gauff. And that final spot came with history attached to it.

Across more than a decade of WTA 1000 tennis, only two all-American finals existed before this: Serena Williams vs. Madison Keys in Rome 2016, and Jessica Pegula vs. Amanda Anisimova in Toronto 2024. Now, Wuhan joins that exclusive list. And once again, Pegula stands at the center, shadowed by a number that keeps surfacing around her – three. This was her third win over Sabalenka, in her eighth straight three-set match, and the one that finally ended Sabalenka’s perfect 21-0 Wuhan record. The scoreline read 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(2), but that barely captures the drama of the final set.

In the deciding set at 5-3 with Aryna Sabalenka serving, Pegula was nearly out. But she rebounded, served for her place, and put Sabalenka on the backfoot to make it 6-5. But then Pegula had four double faults at 6-5, one of them on her first match point. Sabalenka then forced the tiebreak. But Pegula refused to falter.

She soared to a 6-1 advantage, had five match points, and then she won when Sabalenka hit a forehand long – a victory that had seemed so far, then almost gone away, and at last was hers. This victory was not only tasting sweet because of victory, but also because of history between them.

Pegula had lost four in a row to Aryna Sabalenka: the 2024 U.S. Open final, the 2025 U.S. Open semifinal, and two WTA 1000 finals. The last WTA 1000 semifinal that she had lost was also in Beijing by match point. This time all that did not break her.

Now she is up against Coco Gauff who beat Jasmine Paolini 6-4, 6-3. Gauff is pursuing her fourth 1000 WTA title and fifth singles championship of the year.  Meanwhile, Sabalenka almost lost before the match ended, as she was nearly disqualified over a silly mistake.

Aryna Sabalenka’s near-disqualification in Wuhan

In the semifinal of the Wuhan Open, Aryna Sabalenka came dangerously close to being disqualified after a moment of frustration during her match against Jessica Pegula. She had just lost a crucial point, the score was 6-2, 4-6, 5-6, and the tension was at its peak. In a burst of anger, she hurled her racket, which bounced off her bench and nearly hit a cameraman on the court.

Realizing what had almost happened, Sabalenka quickly raised her hand in apology and received a warning from the umpire. Had the racket struck anyone, he would have been disqualified on the spot – a moment of tension to one who has already been the winner thrice in this tournament. And this is not the first occasion, when her emotions made the headlines.

In early 2025, she lost to Coco Gauff in the French Open final and said that Gauff won “not because she played well, but because I played bad.”  It was met with criticism, particularly by U.S. fans, and she later apologized, terming it as unprofessional. Then at Wimbledon, in the semifinal of her match against Amanda Anisimova, she complained that Anisimova could celebrate a point before the ball had even left her.

Sabalenka remarked, “She kind of p***ed me off, like, saying, ‘That’s what she does all the time.’ I was just trying to chase the ball. She was already celebrating it. I was like, ‘I mean, that’s a bit too early.’“She added that this incident fueled her determination during the match

Additionally, Sabalenka was upset when Anisimova failed to apologize after a net-cord point. In tennis, it’s customary for players to apologize when a point is won off a net cord, but Anisimova did not do so. Sabalenka quietly asked, “You don’t want to say sorry?” Although Anisimova may not have heard her, Sabalenka felt the American should have apologized for the lucky point.

These incidents led to some backlash from fans and critics, who questioned Sabalenka’s sportsmanship. However, she later acknowledged her emotional response and expressed a desire to improve her composure in future matches. Despite these controversies, Sabalenka has not faced any formal disciplinary actions or disqualifications due to her behavior on the court.