Jabeur, Pegula, Top 4 Seeds Advance To Charleston SFs
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It’s a dream semifinal line-up at the first big clay stop of 2023 in Charleston.
Top seed and American No. 1 Jessica Pegula led the way ousting No. 12 seed Paula Badosa 6-3, 7-6(8-6).
Pegula dropping only nine points on first serve. She grabbed a late break in the first and a quick break to start the second but failed to serve it out.
Pegula has won both of tour-level head-to-head contests with Badosa.
Pegula makes her 14th career semifinal. Badosa was bidding her 13th career semifinal. Pegula improves to 2-0 against Badosa as she reaches her 16th career semifinal.
Pegula will now face defending champion Belinda Bencic who knocked 7th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-3.
Two-time defending runner-up Ons Jabeur returned to the semifinals with a 6-0, 4-1 retirement victory over Anna Kalinskaya of Russia 6-0, 4-1. Kalinskaya retired with an illness.
Tomorrow, Jabeur will take on Daria Kasatskina who knocked out former champion Madison Keys 6-7(5-7), 6-4, 6-2. Kasatskina had 24 total break points taking advantage of 10 of them, breaking three times in each of the second and third sets.
Looking at Saturday, key matches include in semifinals action led by No. 1 Jessica Pegula tests No. 4 Belinda Bencic, Bencic has won all three of their tour-level head-to-head contests when facing Pegula. Bencic won their most recent contest in the 2021 Us Open R32.
No. 2 Ons Jabeur faces No. 3 Daria Kasatkina, Jabeur has won four of six tour-level head-to-head contests when facing Kasatkina. Jabeur took their last meeting in the 2022 Rome SF.
Keys had won seven of eight against Kasatkina coming in. In the semifinals, Jabeur has won four of six against the Russian while Pegula leads Bencic 3-0.
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