Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula overcame a first set deficit to beat Marta Kostyuk and Elena-Gabriela Ruse 7-5, 7-6(5) in the Mutua Madrid Open semifinals. The all-American pairing extended their winning streak to nine straight matches and advanced to their second straight WTA 1000 final. Gauff and Pegula will meet the winner of the late semifinal between Victoria Azarenka and Beatriz Haddad Maia, or Leylah Fernandez and Taylor Townsend in Sunday’s doubles final.
The top-seeded duo saved eight of 13 break points before notching the semifinal win. Kostyuk and Ruse were up a double-break on two separate occasions in the first set, at 3-0 and 5-2, but Kostyuk was unable to serve out the set. Gauff and Pegula pulled their way back to level footing at 5-5 with key service winners in their next two trips to the line. At 6-5, a crushing Pegula crosscourt return winner gave her team their first set point, where they forced a wide Kostyuk rally error to win their fifth consecutive game and steal the first set.
Gauff and Pegula were down a break at 2-1 and 4-3 in the second set as well, before clawing back on serve each time. Kostyuk and Ruse saved two match points at 6-5 and took an early 2-0 lead in the tiebreak, but the No.1 seeds stayed steadier down the stretch to wrap up the win. The pair previously won at Doha and the Miami Open and are now a victory away from capturing their third team title of the season and their sixth doubles title as a pairing overall.
