Jessica Pegula defeated Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-4 to claim her first Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title on Saturday. The American, seeded fourth, secured her 10th career WTA singles title and fourth at the WTA 1000 level in a 72-minute match. Pegula's victory marks her as the third American to win the event.
Jessica Pegula, turning 32 on Tuesday, celebrated an early birthday gift by lifting the trophy at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships 2026. The No. 4 seed overcame Ukraine's No. 7 Elina Svitolina in straight sets, improving her head-to-head record to 6-3. Pegula started strongly, breaking serve three times in the first set to lead 5-2 before closing it in 34 minutes. In the second set, after Svitolina led 2-1, Pegula broke in the fifth game and sealed the win with an ace on her third match point.
Pegula's path 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 (1-6, 6-4, 6-3). This marked the second time she defeated four Top 20 players in one event, following the 2023 WTA Finals. "I couldn’t ask for a better birthday present. I’m just super proud of myself," Pegula said in her on-court interview. She credited mental resilience from her semifinal fight for freeing her in the final.
Svitolina, a two-time Dubai champion (2017, 2018), reached the final after three-set wins over Belinda Bencic and Antonia Ruzic, plus a three-hour semifinal over Coco Gauff. Despite fatigue, she fought back but double-faulted five times and won only 64.1% of first-serve points. "It was a tough match today, but congrats, Jess," Svitolina said at the ceremony.
Pegula's win, her first since Bad Homburg last June, highlights her late-career surge. All four WTA 1000 titles—Guadalajara (2022), Montreal (2023), Toronto (2024), and now Dubai—came on hard courts, where she thrives by taking the ball early and hitting flat, deep shots. She praised the depth of women's tennis despite withdrawals from Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek. In doubles, Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani won 6-1, 6-3 over Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva for their second WTA 1000 title together.
Sheikha Latifa presented the singles trophy to Pegula, capping a week with 16 of the top 20 players. Pegula now eyes a Grand Slam breakthrough, inspired by her consistency at age 32.