Jessica Pegula claimed her 10th WTA title by beating Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-4 in the Dubai Tennis Championships final on Saturday. The American fourth seed secured her fourth WTA 1000 crown in a match lasting 72 minutes. Pegula described the victory as the perfect early birthday present ahead of turning 32 on February 24.
Jessica Pegula produced a composed performance to defeat Elina Svitolina in the final of the 2026 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The world number five, seeded fourth, took control early with a double break in the first set, winning it 6-2 after 34 minutes. In the second set, Pegula broke for a 3-2 lead and held firm, sealing the match with an ace despite Svitolina saving one championship point.
Pegula's path to the title included victories over Iva Jovic in the round of 16, Clara Tauson in the quarterfinals, and a comeback from a set and a break down against Amanda Anisimova in the semifinals. This marked her sixth win in nine head-to-head meetings with Svitolina, the first with both ranked in the top 10. Svitolina, the seventh seed and world number nine, had advanced by outlasting Coco Gauff in a three-hour semifinal the previous day and was seeking her third Dubai title after wins in 2017 and 2018.
"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. She added that starting quickly eased her nerves and credited her semifinal fightback for boosting her confidence. Pegula now has seven consecutive WTA semifinals dating back to last year's US Open and became the third American to win in Dubai, joining Lindsay Davenport and three-time champion Venus Williams.
Svitolina reached her first WTA 1000 final since 2018 Rome and maintained her top-10 ranking with a 15-3 record in 2026. The tournament saw over 20 withdrawals, including top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, yet delivered high-level semifinals among four top-10 players. Pegula finished with 112 winners, the most in the event.
