Jessica Pegula ousts Lauren Davis to return to Citi Open semifinals

Jessica Pegula is making her presence felt again in D.C. as she is through to the Citi Open semifinals for the second time in four years. Avenging that 2016 defeat, she ousted her fellow American and 25-year-old Lauren Davis, 6-2, 7-6 (2), on Friday.

It’s Pegula’s first entry to the final four of a tour-level main-draw event since reaching her maiden career WTA final in Quebec City in 2018. She has spent most of the first half of the season touring the ITF Pro Circuit and the 125K Series.

Despite their nearly identical rankings—Davis is ranked 75th and Pegula 79th—it was fair to expect Davis to move through given her success on the hard courts; she won her first career WTA title in Auckland in 2017 and has reached finals in D.C. and Quebec City. But it was her lesser experienced opponent who seized the opportunity, dropping just two games in the first set.

Early in the second set, the Gates Mills, OH native attempted to mount a comeback but it was short-lived as she handed back the break, and eventually bowed out in two sets.

Pegula, who hails from Buffalo, NY, awaits the winner of the match between Kristina Mladenovic and Anna Kalinskaya.