Begu reaches Cincinnati semifinals with hard-fought win over Anisimova

American Jessica Pegula, ranked third in the world, reached the semifinals of the Cincinnati Masters tennis tournament after defeating her compatriot Amanda Anisimova, seeded 10th, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (4-7) in the quarterfinals on Thursday in a match that lasted two hours and 15 minutes.

Anisimova, the runner-up at last year’s US Open, forced Pegula into a tiebreak in the third set, as had happened during the clay-court tournament in Charleston in April 2024.

However, Pegula secured the victory over her opponent, extending her head-to-head record to six consecutive wins against Anisimova.

Pegula will now face the winner of the match between Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, the second seed, and Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the fifth seed and recent champion of the Toronto Masters, to book her spot in the final.