WTA Dubai: Gauff saves four match points but still loses, Pegula extends winning streak against Anisimova to five

On February 20, 2026, local time, the WTA1000 Dubai event held its semifinal matches. In women’s singles, 4th seed Pegula came back from a set down to beat 2nd seed Anisimova 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, while 7th seed Svitolina edged out 3rd seed Gauff 6-4, 6-7(13), 6-4.

Pegula

The first women's singles semifinal was an all-American clash, with Pegula facing Anisimova again this season after their Australian Open quarterfinal encounter where Pegula won in straight sets. In this match, Anisimova dominated the first set, allowing Pegula only one service hold and taking it 6-1. The second set saw both players applying pressure on each other’s serve; Pegula overcame a 1-3 deficit to win three consecutive games and level the match at 6-4. In the deciding set, Pegula’s increasingly consistent play secured a break in the fourth game, and she closed out the match 6-3.

Pegula improved to a perfect 5-0 career record against Anisimova and reached her first singles final in Dubai. Since the US Open last year, Pegula has made at least the semifinals in seven consecutive WTA tournaments; she now aims to capture her fourth WTA1000 title.

After the match, Pegula said, “At the start of the third set, I looked at my coach and said, ‘Just being on the court now is lucky enough.’ Her tennis was incredible, and I was a bit slow to start. She could really overpower you and leave no chance to fight back. I’m really excited to reach my first final in Dubai. Before coming here, I thought the conditions would suit my game well, and I’m happy to have the chance to compete for the title tomorrow.”

Svitolina

In the final, Pegula will face Svitolina, who survived a grueling 3-hour and 3-minute battle against Gauff. The semifinal opponents had an even head-to-head record of two wins each before this match, but earlier this season at the Australian Open quarterfinals, Svitolina swept Gauff in just 58 minutes. The memorable moment after that match was Gauff smashing her racket in frustration in the players’ area.

In this match, Gauff, seeking revenge, started strong but failed to maintain her early break advantage, losing the first set 4-6. The second set was fiercely contested and went to a tiebreak, where Gauff saved four match points before finally capturing the set 7-6(13) after 1 hour and 24 minutes. The deciding set continued the high intensity, but Svitolina’s clutch play in the final stages secured her a 6-4 victory to win the match.

Svitolina has had an excellent season, winning a WTA250 title in Auckland and reaching the Australian Open semifinals. Returning to Dubai this week, she reached the final here for the third time, making her first WTA1000 final appearance in eight years since Rome 2018. Notably, she holds a perfect 4-0 record in WTA1000 finals.

Pegula and Svitolina have met eight times previously, with the American leading 5-3. Their final showdown is scheduled for 23:00 Beijing time tonight. The women’s doubles final will start at 20:30 Beijing time, featuring the 5th seeds Dabrowski/Stefani against Sigmund/Zvonareva.

(Text and editing: Dato, Photos: Visual China)