Three American players—close friends and all ranked in the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz Top 10—will take center stage in the semifinals at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships this Friday. It’s the first time in 25 years that three players from the same country have reached the semifinals in Dubai.
The matchups feature No. 2 seed Amanda Anisimova against No. 4 Jessica Pegula (5 p.m. local time, 8 a.m. ET), followed by No. 3 Coco Gauff facing off against No. 7 Elina Svitolina, who is also a Top 10 player. The winners will compete on Saturday to crown the champion of this season’s second WTA 1000 event.
If these matchups seem familiar, it’s because both are rematches from the Australian Open quarterfinals held just a month ago in 2026.
No. 3 Coco Gauff vs. No. 7 Elina Svitolina
Head-to-head: 2-2.
After a dominant 6-0, 6-2 victory over Alexandra Eala, Gauff expressed surprise at making it to the semifinals in Dubai. “But sometimes one match can change everything,” she noted during her on-court interview. Despite her recent struggles, including an early exit in Doha and narrowly saving match points in Dubai, Gauff remains optimistic.
Gauff’s serve is still a work in progress, having recorded 16 double faults against Mertens. While she had fewer against Eala, the 36 double faults throughout the tournament highlight an area that needs improvement. Nevertheless, her exceptional defense led to Eala committing 33 unforced errors.
On the other side, Svitolina fought back from a set down to defeat lucky loser Antonia Ruzic 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. As a two-time Dubai champion, Svitolina has fond memories of this event, winning titles in 2017 and 2018. She recalled her recent match against Gauff, where she won 6-1, 6-2 in Melbourne just three weeks ago.
No. 2 Amanda Anisimova vs. No. 4 Jessica Pegula
Head-to-head: 4-0, Pegula.
This head-to-head record may be misleading, as three of these matches occurred before Anisimova’s breakthrough year, during which she reached two consecutive Grand Slam finals. Their last meeting ended with Pegula winning 6-2, 7-6 (1) a little over three weeks ago.
Anisimova displayed resilience in her quarterfinal match, overcoming No. 5 Mirra Andreeva 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (4). This marked her first comeback of the year and denied Andreeva’s hopes of defending her title. Known for her solid groundstrokes, Anisimova has been focusing on enhancing her net play, which could help her against Pegula.
Pegula advanced by defeating No. 12 Clara Tauson 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, marking her seventh consecutive WTA Tour-level semifinal, a streak dating back to the last US Open. Pegula noted improvements in her serving and physical condition, highlighting her consistent performance over the past six months.
