WTA/ATP: Pegula makes a statement in Dubai

After navigating a tricky draw that saw her dismiss Varvara Gracheva, Iva Jovic, Clara Tauson, and Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula clinched her 10th career title and fourth at the WTA 1000 level with a commanding 6-2, 6-4 victory over two-time champion Elina Svitolina in the Dubai final.

She rallied back from a set and 1-3 down against Anisimova in the semi-finals, and also had to battle through three sets against Tauson in the previous round.

When she hit that last ace to close out the win versus Svitolina, the American was understandably elated and jumped in delight on court.

“Super happy to walk away with the title this week,” said Pegula, who turns 32 on Tuesday.

“I've been playing some really good tennis the last six months. I was hoping that it was going to keep paying off.

“Going deep in these tournaments, giving myself another chance, I was able to do that again this week. Come back from a tough match yesterday, then be able to play I feel like almost a perfect match tonight.”

Pegula has not lost before the semi-finals in each of her last seven tournaments, proving to be a consistent force on the tour’s biggest stages.

The former US Open finalist returns to No.5 in the world rankings this week and has been improving all aspects of her game, working with her coaches Mark Knowles and Mark Merklein.

The Dubai tournament was struck with over 20 withdrawals and retirements, before and during the event, but the leading ladies of the WTA still served up a stellar week in the northern emirate.

“I was looking at the draw actually. We talked about all these withdrawals. But, I mean, we had four top-10 girls in the semis. We had a few more in the quarters. It just shows you the depth of women's tennis,” noted Pegula.  

“Even when you have a lot of players withdrawing, just because we're missing a few, it doesn't mean that we still can't put on some great tennis.

“My draw was very hard, it was a really tough draw. I was able to beat a couple top-10 players along the way. It definitely was not a cakewalk by any means.

“I’m super proud of the state our sport is in right now. I think it's super strong.”

Elina Svitolina also has plenty to be proud of as she too had a brutal draw in Dubai.

The Ukrainian, who returned to the top 10 earlier this month for the first time since coming back from maternity leave, beat the likes of Paula Badosa and Belinda Bencic, and battled past Coco Gauff in a three-hour marathon on her way to her first WTA 1000 final since 2018.

The 31-year-old is a remarkable 15-3 win-loss so far this season, with a title in Auckland and a semi-final showing at the Australian Open under her belt.

“I definitely I didn't expect at the beginning of the year that I would play that good. I actually went to Auckland to get some matches, just to try to find my rhythm. Yeah, just everything came together. I worked hard,” said Svitolina.

“Also I think that break in September helped me, that month or two helped me to pick up myself mentally. Yeah, I feel like I'm in a good place. I try to look little bit into my game and my mentality from a different side.

“I feel like I'm improving. I'm ready to face difficult situations. That's the most important I feel like.”

Alcaraz puts on a show

Over in Doha, world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz extended his unbeaten run this season to 12-0 by defeating France’s Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-1 to lift the Qatar Open trophy on Saturday.

Three weeks after becoming the youngest player in history to complete the career Grand Slam at the Australian Open, Alcaraz scooped the ATP 500 title with a 50-minute rout of the 21-year-old Fils.

“I came this year hungry for more,” said Alcaraz, who now owns 26 career titles.

“I think after every tournament, we just have to set new goals. I’m just really happy and proud of everything I have done with my team on and off the court.

“It’s been a really strong start to the year. It wasn’t easy… I had to be strong mentally with my team. I’m just playing great tennis and I’m really happy about this week. This trophy means a lot to me."

For the 21-year-old Fils, the week in Doha was the perfect reassurance he needed in his comeback from a lengthy break he took to recover from a back stress fracture he picked up at Roland-Garros last year.

In just his third tournament back, Fils managed to defeat players like Jiri Lehecka and Jakub Mensik en route to his first tour-level final since he won Tokyo in 2024.

“It’s been eight long months with my injury,” said Fils. “So in a time like this, you just have to think about the last eight months when I was struggling, not playing tennis. I just want to thank my team… Today was not the day but I think we did a hell of a job.”

Tomas the marathon man

In Rio de Janeiro, Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry fought past Chilean Alejandro Tabilo 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-4 over three hours and four minutes to clinch the maiden ATP title of his career.

Etcheverry had a gruelling weekend that saw his semi-final against Vit Kopriva postponed from Saturday and the 26-year-old ended up playing two matches on Sunday before he finally got his hands on the trophy.

His semi-final and final clashes lasted a combined seven hours but it was all worth it as he finally tasted success after losing his three previous ATP championship deciders.

“This is a dream come true for me,” Etcheverry was quoted as saying by atptour.com. “I was looking for a while for my first title. I’ve been working so hard with my team and I can’t believe it.”

Korda triumphs in Delray 

In Delray Beach, Sebastian Korda knocked out three of the top five seeds on his way to a third career title and first since Washington 2024.

In all-American final, Korda defeated fifth-seeded Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-3 in one hour and 22 minutes to get back in the winners’ circle.

The 25-year-old struggled with a stress fracture in his right shin last year that sidelined him for three months but looked close to his best in Delray Beach, where he claimed victories over the likes of Casper Ruud and Flavio Cobolli before beating Paul in the final.  

“(It means) a lot. I’ve been through some stuff the past couple of months, years,” said Korda “I’ve lost a lot of finals and now to get one here in Delray — this is where I made my first ATP final — so it’s like a full-circle day. I’m just happy.”