Veronika Kudermetova secured a spot in the Madrid Open semi-finals after a dramatic 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 victory over world no. 3 Jessica Pegula on Wednesday. After a strong start and a poor second set, the Russian fought back to defeat the veteran Grand Slam quarter-finalist in a three-set battle. This achievement is a career-first for Kudermetova at the WTA 1000 level. She closed out the match with a clinical ace on her second match point, continuing a trend of winning her last four matches in three sets.
Veronika Kudermetova stunned world no.3 Jessica Pegula 6-4, 0-6, 6-4 in a topsy-turvy quarterfinal clash on Wednesday to reach the Madrid Open semi-finals. The Russian Kudermetova recovered well after collapsing in the second set to rally past the five-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist Pegula in three sets to reach a WTA 1000 event semi-final for the first time in her career. The Russian clinched a crucial victory with an ace on her second match point in the decider set. Kudermetova registered her fourth consecutive three-set win in the tournament.
Jessica Pegula, 29, was aiming for back-to-back final appearances in Madrid, having narrowly missed the title last year against Ons Jabeur. However, she now makes way for the 12th seed, Veronika Kudermetova, who will next face the world's top player, Iga Swiatek. Swiatek advanced comfortably after defeating Petra Matric 6-0, 6-3 to earn her spot in the semi-finals.
Earlier this season, Kudermetova reached the semi-finals in both Doha and Adelaide. The 26-year-old is currently on a hot streak, shaking off a previous four-match losing streak to establish herself as a formidable threat for the title on the clay courts.
Kudermetova dominated the opening stages of the match, winning points with ease to take the first set. However, the momentum shifted drastically in the second set when the Russian appeared to run out of steam. Plagued by unforced errors, she allowed last year's finalist, Pegula, to take total control. Pegula capitalized on the collapse, winning 83% of the points and storming to a 6-0 victory in just 22 minutes to force a deciding set.
Following a medical time-out, Kudermetova found her second wind in the final set. It was a tight battle with both players breaking each other twice to stay level at 3-3. Showing great composure under pressure, Kudermetova managed to break again for a 4-3 lead and held her serve to stay ahead. Although Pegula saved one match point, Kudermetova finished the job with her fourth ace of the match.
Reflecting on the win, Kudermetova expressed her pride, noting that beating Jessica felt wonderful. She mentioned feeling fresher than usual since the match lasted only two hours compared to her previous three-hour marathons. She admitted to playing poorly in the second set but told herself to dig deep and give her best for the fans in the third set to bring some energy back to the game.