Pegula Dethrones Swiatek to Book Cincy Final Against Gauff

Jessica Pegula staged a comeback in the third set to defeat defending champion Iga Swiatek and secure a spot in the Cincinnati Masters final. Pegula won the "crazy" match 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.

Pegula will face fellow American Coco Gauff in the women's final. Gauff advanced with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Sara Bejlek, who had previously eliminated top seed Aryna Sabalenka.

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Crazy match today. A lot of back and forth, a lot of breaks. Really windy, kind of odd conditions. I felt like we were playing well and then not playing well. It was really tough to kind of get a gauge on the match.

The men's final will also feature an American, Frances Tiafoe, against France's Arthur Fils. Fils reached his first Masters 1000 final by defeating Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 6-4. His match was delayed by rain and lightning.

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I was just really happy with the way I was able to kind of handle just a lot that was going on today. I did a good job of no matter what was happening.

Swiatek and Pegula's match also experienced delays due to weather. "Crazy match today," Pegula said after the nearly three-hour contest. "A lot of back and forth, a lot of breaks. Really windy, kind of odd conditions. I felt like we were playing well and then not playing well. It was really tough to kind of get a gauge on the match."

Despite the loss, Swiatek expressed optimism about her game heading into the US Open. "We made some steps forward in this intensive part of the season," the six-time Grand Slam champion stated. "It was tough to play today with the wind, but we each put pressure on the other. I didn't feel good in the first set but coming back in the second and using all of my chances was a good change."

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We made some steps forward in this intensive part of the season. It was tough to play today with the wind, but we each put pressure on the other. I didn't feel good in the first set but coming back in the second and using all of my chances was a good change.