DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 20, 2026

Jessica Pegula

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium

Press Conference

J. PEGULA/A. Anisimova

1-6, 6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Through to your first Dubai singles final. How did you turn that game around after a difficult first set?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, that was a really tough match, tough turnaround. I just kept telling myself to try and keep holding and find a couple different serves, get some momentum a little bit.

Luckily I did kind of in the nick of time. Then I was kind of able to put pressure on her serve right away, kind of slowly turn the match around.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Was it mentally or physically at the end of the match?

JESSICA PEGULA: I think both. I was running a lot. I kind of knew I had to use my legs, get my feet under me, use some of my legs to kind of, like, movement to get my feet under and stay in the points because she was hitting a really big ball. I was just having trouble, like, starting the points. I felt like I was just getting behind in the points so quickly.

Yeah, I had to really kind of make it a little physical there for a while. Then obviously at the end when I kind of gained that momentum, obviously it felt like there was a little bit of a lull in the energy where she was maybe, I don't know, a little tired. I was kind of tired because we had a lot of really intense games there for a while. You're trying to keep the energy up and still play well. So it's tricky.

It was definitely mental and physical at the end.

Q. At the start of the match... The third set on fire. What changed?

JESSICA PEGULA: I don't know. Like I said, I think my movement, I started moving really well, I started serving much better. I started kind of reading her serve a little bit better.

I think I just fell back into my patterns and got my feet under me and was kind of able to extend the points, mix in some change of pace, slices, dropshots, lobs, just try to make her feel a little bit uncomfortable because the way she was playing in the first set was obviously going her way.

I just felt like I had to do something different, really kind of dig deep to just kind of start finding a rhythm for my game, try to at least give myself a chance to try and take the second set.

Q. Your thoughts on playing Coco or Elina for the Dubai title?

JESSICA PEGULA: Yeah, I mean, I've played both of them quite a bit. I think I played Elina maybe last time at Indian Wells last year. So maybe coming up a year now since I played her.

We always have really tough matches. We play kind of similar styles. I think a little bit of counter-punching, but we can play aggressive. We're very solid I think off both wings. I feel like with her it's always a mix of trying to be aggressive but not overplaying because she also moves pretty well and has some good defense.

Coco, same thing. Obviously her movement is the best I think on tour. She can dig out every single ball. With her, yeah, it's a little bit of a game of trying to be aggressive and not overplaying, as well. We had a really tight match at the WTA Finals last year. She's an incredible competitor. I mean, honestly they both are. So I'm expecting a very tough final either way.

Q. What positive can you take from this match?

JESSICA PEGULA: I think today it was more of a mental win for me. I don't necessarily think I played amazing, but I think at the same time the level was very high just from all the ups and downs and turns, me coming back, being down a set and 3-1, trying to hold on.

I think being able to kind of flip that, then stay on top of it in the third, be able to come up with some big serves, some clutch points, use a little bit of my mind I think to win that match. I think it was definitely a mental win for me. Hopefully it will give me some confidence for tomorrow.

Q. You talk about the mental aspect. Do you think also having that perfect record, 5-0 against Amanda, helps?

JESSICA PEGULA: I'm sure it helps me. I'm not sure what she's thinking about. I think I know that I can turn matches around. We've played a lot of times, but every time it's really tough. It's not like I'm killing her every single time.

I know what I can do to kind of bother her game. I just felt like I couldn't quite get into that yet, like as the first set went. I feel like I just need to get to that part where I'm starting to bother her with my strategy and what I'm doing.

She was doing a very good job of not letting me get there. It was a little bit of that. Once I dug in, maybe she lost her timing a little bit, I was kind of able to take my opportunity to do what I know probably bothers her.

So yeah, I mean, I think in that sense, knowing that it works, that it's worked in the past, obviously helps. I don't think you're really thinking about the record, but just from past experiences, yeah.