Pegula powers into Tokyo final

Jessica Pegula cut off the seven-match win streak of Maria Sakkari, producing a 6-2, 6-3 win into the WTA Tokyo final on Saturday.

The world No. 4 from New York will be playing her fourth final of the season as she faces Veronika Kudermetova, who beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-6(6), 6-7(2), 6-3. in their semi-final.

The effort took nearly three and a half hours with the loser saving four match points in the dramatic final game at the Ariake Colosseum Olympic venue.

Pegula, who won last month’s Montreal title, earned her 33 hard-court win of 2023, pulling her level with Coco Gauff on the Tour.

The American daughter of a billionaire finished with 21 winners and broke Sakkari five times.

“When you’re top-ranked, I think it just depends on how you play that day and how you execute your game plan, and some days it’s better than others,” Pegula said.

“The faster courts here probably help me a little more than the slower surfaces I’ve played her in the past, so I tried to take advantage of that.”

Kudermetova denied the veteran Pavlyuchenkova a third Tokyo final after finishing runner-up here in 2017 and 2019.