DUBAI: Elina Svitolina and Jessica Pegula advanced to the final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships after winning contrasting semifinals at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium. Svitolina, the seventh seed, outlasted Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-7(13), 6-4 in a three-hour, three-minute match on Friday. Pegula, the fourth seed and world No. 5, rallied past fellow American Amanda Anisimova 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 to set up a championship match in the WTA 1000 event on Saturday.
Svitolina’s win over Gauff turned on a lengthy second-set tiebreak and a late break in the decider. After taking the opening set, Svitolina held four match points in a 15-13 tiebreak but could not close it out as Gauff forced a third set. Svitolina regrouped and broke in the final game to finish the match, reaching her third Dubai final and her first at the tournament since 2018. Svitolina won the Dubai title in 2017 and 2018.
Pegula recovered from a difficult start and a deficit early in the second set to maintain her undefeated record against Anisimova. Anisimova took the first set in 28 minutes and led 3-1 in the second before Pegula steadied and turned the match with a run of breaks and holds. Pegula closed the contest in two hours and two minutes and improved to 5-0 against Anisimova, advancing to her 21st career final. The Dubai run marked another deep WTA 1000 showing for Pegula, a three-time champion at the level.
Dubai final set after contrasting semifinals
Saturday’s program at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium also includes the doubles final before the singles championship match. The doubles final is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. local time, with the singles final to follow not before 7 p.m., both on Centre Court. Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani are set to play Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva for the doubles title. The tournament is part of the WTA’s Middle East swing and carries 1,000 ranking points for the singles champion.
Pegula leads the head-to-head against Svitolina 5-3, including a split of two meetings in 2025, with Svitolina winning in Doha and Pegula prevailing in Indian Wells. For Svitolina, the Dubai final continues a strong start to 2026 that includes the title in Auckland and a semifinal appearance at the Australian Open. Her victory over Gauff was recorded as the 25th Top 5 win of her career. Pegula entered the final seeking her fourth WTA 1000 trophy after titles in Guadalajara, Montreal and Toronto.
Prize money and ranking points at stake
Both finalists navigated a 56-player singles draw that began with first-round byes. Svitolina’s path included a second-round match in which Paula Badosa retired with Svitolina leading 6-4, followed by wins over Belinda Bencic and Antonia Ruzic before the semifinal against Gauff. Pegula beat Varvara Gracheva and Iva Jovic before a three-set quarterfinal win over Clara Tauson and then the semifinal comeback against Anisimova. The finalists will meet on an outdoor hard court at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium.
The Dubai tournament is distributing a total of $4,088,211 in prize money. The singles champion will earn $665,000 and 1,000 ranking points, while the runner-up will receive $385,001 and 650 points. The doubles champions will split $195,000, with the finalists splitting $110,010. Pegula will be playing for her first Dubai singles title, while Svitolina will be seeking a third championship at the event when they take the court on Saturday. – By Content Syndication Services.