Pegula to play Kessler in all-American Austin final

Top seed Jessica Pegula advanced to her second final of 2025 with a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 win over Ajla Tomljanovic at the WTA 250 ATX Open on Saturday. Previously runner-up to Madison Keys at the Adelaide International in January, Pegula will seek her seventh career singles title, and first since winning the WTA 1000 in Toronto last summer, on Sunday in an all-American final against No. 5 seed McCartney Kessler.

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After a one-sided first set, where an erratic Tomljanovic hit seven double faults and lost serve four times, the three-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist dug in and forced the World No. 4 to play some of her best tennis to reach her 16th career Hologic WTA Tour singles final in two ticks under two hours.

"We were a little hit or miss with our serves today ... it was pretty hot today, the ball was kind of flying, but once I started serving a little more consistent, smarter [that was the key]," Pegula said afterwards.

Pegula won her first title as the No. 1 at the WTA 250 in Seoul, South Korea two years ago, and looks to add a second title on U.S. soil to her trophy cabinet. She won the 2019 Citi Open in Washington, D.C. for her first career Hologic WTA Tour title, but hasn't won a U.S. event since then. Last year, she was runner-up in Cincinnati and at the US Open. 

"Every final is new ... being the first time I've played here, being in the U.S., I like doing well and I always want to show that I'm one of the best Americans, one of the best players in the world," Pegula continued. "Being able to do that on home soil is always special."

The U.S. No. 2 hit 31 winners and 30 unforced errors in victory, and rounded into form after the two players traded breaks to start the deciding set. She took the lead for good by breaking Tomljanovic for the seventh and final time for 3-1, and lost just five points in her last three service games.

Tomljanovic beat Pegula in two ITF World Tennis Tour matches in 2009 and 2011, but Pegula has now won their two most recent meetings -- first, at the 2024 United Cup, and now, in Tomljanovic's first hard-court tour-level semifinal in six years. Nonetheless, a strong showing by the 31-year-old, a former World No. 32, will put her back in the Top 100 next week. She defeated No. 7 seed Katie Volynets in the first round, and won two three-setters against Jodie Burrage and Ena Shibahara to reach the penultimate round -- saving a match point against the latter.

Kessler ends Minnen's run for third final in eight months

Pegula's loss to Keys in the Adelaide final marked the fifth all-American WTA singles final on tour this decade, making her upcoming first career tilt against Kessler nearly two months later the sixth. To seal her spot against Pegula, the University of Florida alum battled to a 7-5, 6-4 win over Belgian Greet Minnen in 1 hour and 34 minutes.

Kessler, who was ranked outside the Top 100 at this time last year, regrouped after losing early leads in both sets to also advance to her second final of 2025. The Hobart champion won back-to-back games to win the first set after losing a 3-1 lead, and failing to serve it out the first time at 5-4. She later won three straight games to win the match, dropping Minnen to 0-3 in her career in WTA semifinals. 

After beating Coco Gauff last week at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships for her first career Top 10 win, Kessler will look to both level her fledgling career record against that caliber of opponent against Pegula, and capture a third career WTA title in less than a year, having won her first just prior to last year's US Open.