American Jessica Pegula defeated world number one Aryna Sabalenka 6-4 6-7(4) 6-0 in the Berlin Open semi-finals on June 20, 2026, to advance to the final [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. Pegula, the 2024 Berlin Open champion, rebounded after losing the second-set tiebreak and a rain delay to dominate the final set 6-0 against Sabalenka, who has won four Grand Slam titles but not Wimbledon [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. "She came out and ripped a bunch of winners and I told myself 'I guess I wanted to win in the hard way anyway'," Pegula said. "I don't get super emotional. People used to tell me... I just try to be myself" [1]. She added, "I told myself after I ended up losing that second-set tiebreak that before the rain delay, I had a lot of momentum. She just hit a double fault... But she's No. 1 in the world for a reason" [6].
Sabalenka, who has made three Wimbledon semi-finals but never won the title, faces a setback in her preparation for Wimbledon, which starts June 29, 2026 [7, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6].
Pegula will face Czech player Linda Noskova in the Berlin Open final after Noskova defeated Alexandra Eala 6-2 6-4 in the other semi-final on June 20 [3, 6]. Eala, a Philippine player, upset world number two Elena Rybakina 7-5 6-4 in the last 16 on June 18 [7, 8]. After her win over Rybakina, Eala said, "I’m a little foggy right now. I think I’m still shaking. I was shaking on match point... My mom was there too. I'm really happy" [7].
The Berlin Open final between Pegula and Noskova is set to take place following the semi-finals held today on June 20, 2026 [3, 6].
