The China Mail - Pegula sees off Svitolina to win Dubai WTA 1000 title

The fourth-seeded American denied Svitolina a chance to win a third title in the northern emirate, and improved her record against the Ukrainian to 6-3 head-to-head.

Pegula, who turns 32 on Tuesday, has made at least the semi-finals in each of her last seven tournaments and walks away from Dubai with a 10th career title.

Pegula fought back from a set and a break down in the semi-finals against Amanda Anisimova on Friday, while Svitolina battled through a three-hour marathon against Coco Gauff.

It was Svitolina who appeared to be suffering the most from the aftermath of the previous night, though, and it gave Pegula the chance to jump to a double-break lead early in the final, and she never looked back as she wrapped up the victory in 72 minutes.

"I couldn't ask for a better birthday present. I'm just super proud of myself. I had to play at a very high level, it was awesome," Pegula said in her on-court interview.

"I feel like when you can get off to a quick start, that eases the nerves a little bit.

"Mentally, I think, especially the match yesterday, I was down a set and 3-1, and I fought back, which made me feel free today. I trusted the things we've been working on and it paid off."

Svitolina, a champion in Dubai in 2017 and 2018, has lots to be proud of, having reached her first WTA 1000 final since Rome 2018.

The Ukrainian 31-year-old returned to the top 10 earlier this month for the first time since coming back from maternity leave and has enjoyed a phenomenal start to 2026, amassing a 15-3 win-loss record.

R.Lin--ThChM