INDIAN WELLS, California (The Thursday Times) — Jessica Pegula ne Jumeraat ki raat WTA Finals mein aik match point bachaya aur career ke sab se zyada 16 aces laga kar Linda Noskova ko 7-6 (2), 4-6, 7-5 se shikast de di. Is jeet ke saath woh semi-final mein pohanch gayin aur un ki hum watan Coco Gauff tournament se bahar ho gayin.
Wimbledon champion Noskova aakhri chaar mein apni jagah pehle hi pakki kar chuki theen aur faisla kun set mein unhon ne ibtida hi mein break hasil kar liya. Woh 5-4 se aage theen aur Pegula ki service par aik match point bhi hasil kiya, magar Amreeki khiladi ne use bacha liya, aik ace ke saath score 5-5 kiya aur agle game mein break kar liya. Do ghante 46 minute taweel yeh match us waqt khatam hua jab net ko chhoo kar gaind Noskova ki taraf gir gayi.
Pegula ka is se pehle ka behtareen record 14 aces tha, woh bhi Noskova ke khilaf, isi saal Berlin ke final mein. Czech khiladi ne 15 double faults kiye.
Pegula ne kaha: "16 aces ke bawajood bhi main bamushkil match jeet payi, is se pata chalta hai ke woh kitni achhi khiladi hain." Noskova ne kaha ke yeh "aakhir tak aik kaante daar muqabla tha, jaisa ke mujhe tawaqqo thi".
Shandar wapsi ke bawajood Gauff bahar
Noskova, Pegula aur Gauff teenon ne Group 1 mein do jeet aur aik haar ke saath ikhtitam kiya. Jeete gaye sets ke tanasub ki buniyad par Noskova group mein pehle number par rahin aur Pegula doosre par, jabke 2024 ki champion Gauff bahar ho gayin.
Is se qabl Jumeraat ko hi Gauff ne kamar ke nichle hisse ke ilaj ke bawajood himmat na haari aur doosre set mein 5-1 se peeche hone ke baad musalsal chhe games jeet kar Marta Kostyuk ko 6-4, 7-5 se hara diya. Yeh is season mein un ka aakhri match sabit hua.
Agla muqabla Andreeva se
Pegula Hafte ko semi-final mein Mirra Andreeva ka samna karengi, jinhon ne is hafte ke awail mein Aryna Sabalenka ko yaktarfa muqable mein haraya tha. Tournament se pehle aik practice session ke dauran Pegula ke apne coach se Roosi khiladi ke bare mein niji tabsire live nashr ho gaye the, jis par WTA ki sarbarah ne Pegula se maazrat ki thi. Is ke baad dono ka yeh pehla aamna saamna hoga.
Pegula ne sahafiyon se kaha: "Yahi woh match hai jo log chahte the, to ab yeh aap ko mil jayega."
Noskova ka muqabla Group 2 ki runner-up se hoga, jis ka faisla Juma ko Sabalenka aur Elina Svitolina ke darmiyan hoga. Aik crore dollar inami raqam wala yeh season ka aakhri tournament Iran ke saath jang ki wajah se Saudi Arab se Indian Wells muntaqil kiya gaya tha.
