With tears in her eyes, Kasatkina overcame Pegula in Charleston and advanced to her third final of the season.

In the battle for the trophy at the American WTA 500, Russia's top seed will face the winner of the Collins - Sakkari pair.

On Saturday, April 6, at the WTA 500 tournament in Charleston, USA, the first semi-final match took place. The participants were the court owner Jessica Pegula, seeded number one, and Russian tennis player Daria Kasatkina (11).

The Russian athlete defeated American Ashley Krueger in the second round (6:3, 0:6, 6:1) and closed out Ukraine's representative Angelina Kalinina in straight sets in the third round (6:1, 6:4). In the quarterfinals of the clay court WTA 500, Russia's top seed claimed a strong victory over Jacqueline Cristian from Romania - 6:7, 6:2, 6:3.

Pegula also played three matches in Charleston. In the round of 16, the fifth-ranked player in the world narrowly defeated compatriot Amanda Anisimova in a tiebreak of the deciding set (3:6, 6:4, 7:6), and then triumphed over Magda Linette from Poland - 6:2, 6:2. In the quarterfinals of the home tournament, Jessica faced a tough three-set battle against two-time TBSH champion Victoria Azarenka, eventually winning 6:4, 3:6, 7:6. Notably, during the tiebreak, the American saved four match points.

After her victory over Azarenka, the first seed couldn't help but comment on her upcoming match with Kasatkina in the Charleston tournament's semifinals.

"I have a plan for the game based on past experience, but you still can't predict what Kasatkina will do. She performs well here, but I am ready. She plays quite straightforwardly, so I will just try to do what is necessary to win," Pegula's press service quoted her as saying.

Russian experts also commented on the upcoming semifinal battle in Charleston. The Vice President of the Russian Tennis Federation (FTR) stated that Kasatkina enjoys competing in these events.

"Kasatkina likes to play in Charleston, it is one of the luckiest places for her. In the first matches, although not without the usual nervous moments for her matches, Daria managed to win in her style. A worthy semifinal for one of the players' favorite tournaments," Seliyanenko was quoted by Metaratings.by.

Former world number 54 Natalya Vikhlyantseva also noted that Kasatkina suits the green clay in Charleston, and the semifinal against Pegula will be interesting.

"Kasatkina achieved victory in a tough three-set match against Cristian, who is only regaining form after the injury. It's good that Daria managed to turn the match around after losing the first set in the tiebreak and show her game.

Kasatkina fits well on the green clay in Charleston. Daria is already looking forward to the start of the clay season and will fight for victory in the semifinals of the tournament in the US in a match against Jessica Pegula. It will be a tough match because both girls played three-set matches yesterday. The American saved several match points in her battle against Victoria Azarenka. We are in for an interesting battle," Vikhlyantseva told Metaratings.by.

The head-to-head record is 2-0 in favor of Pegula. She won 7:5, 6:3 on the clay of Rome-2021 and 6:1, 6:0 on the hard court of Tokyo-2023. They were also set to face each other in the Adelaide semifinals at the start of this season, but Jessica withdrew before the match, and a victory without playing does not count in official head-to-head records.

In the first set of their new personal encounter, Kasatkina managed to break immediately but failed to hold it - 1:1. The women then held their serves, and in the middle of the set, Pegula broke and led 4:2. However, the 26-year-old native of Togliatti managed to turn the tide of the match. Daria gained the advantage - she served well and kept the ball in play. The Russian made a comeback, taking four games in a row and winning the first set - 6:4. Kasatkina led in winners with 10:7, but also had more unforced errors - 19:13.

The second set was very uneven. Until the score was 2:1 in favor of Pegula, the women held their serves, but then they exchanged breaks. The players made a lot of mistakes, were visibly nervous, and allowed each other to create and convert break point opportunities. In the end, the set remained with Jessica, who made 16 unforced errors with the same number of winners. Her opponent had 14 unforced errors and 10 winners.

The nature of the decisive set did not change. The court owner made an early break, held onto it, and even led 2:0. However, break exchanges started again. Both the Russian and the American alternately gave away games on their serves. Daria twice led with a break in the middle of the set, but she couldn't consolidate her advantage. Only in the ninth game did they manage to stop the exchange of serves, as Pegula took the lead 5:4. Kasatkina withstood a key situation and leveled the score at 5:5.

The outcome of the match was decided in a tiebreak, where Kasatkina was luckier. On her second match point, the Russian player made a brilliant cross-court forehand to secure the victory. Thus, Daria won with a score of 6:4, 4:6, 7:6 (5) in 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Russia's top seed advanced to her third final this season, defeating a top-10 opponent for the first time this year. During the deciding set, Kasatkina experienced knee problems - she even sought the help of the medical team. However, despite the pain, the Togliatti native once again showed her fighting spirit, and after the hard-fought victory, tears of joy could be seen on the tennis player's face.

Kasatkina's opponent in the Charleston final will be either American Danielle Collins or Greek Maria Sakkari. The tournament in the US will conclude on April 7. Stay tuned for all the updates on "Championship."