Pegula edges Keys in two tiebreaks to reach Berlin semis

No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula won the fifth edition of her rivalry with Madison Keys 7-6(5), 7-6(8) in 1 hour and 46 minutes to reach her fifth semifinal of 2026 at the Vanda Pharmaceuticals Berlin Tennis Open.

The compatriots, friends and podcast co-hosts came into the match with their head-to-head tied at 2-2, and for most of their first meeting on grass there was nothing to choose between them -- indeed, Keys won more points overall, 86 to Pegula's 83. But tennis matches are decided by the importance rather than the quantity of points won, and that's where Pegula had the edge.

Keys found her stride with blistering power to break first for 3-1 -- but up 4-2, lapsed into error to lose her advantage. By contrast, Pegula was quick to seize her first set point opportunity in the tiebreak, nailing a return winner to steal the set.

The dynamic was reversed in the second set -- Pegula, utilizing greater variety on court, led 4-2, only for Keys to peg her back and force another tiebreak. Pegula found some spectacular shots -- a forehand pass on the run and a perfect lob -- to edge ahead, and withstood Keys unleashing on return to save two match points to convert her fourth.

The precision of Pegula's shot-making belies a rather more blasé approach, she revealed in her on-court interview.

"Sometimes on grass I'm not really aiming," she admitted. "It just goes wherever it wants to go. I think sometimes when you overthink and you try to aim too much, the grass can really kind of play you, and you lose control of the ball. So I just try to commit to hitting in the vicinity of the court. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad."

So far in Berlin, it's been good -- and Pegula will have a chance to keep that going in the semifinals against either No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka or wild card Nikola Bartunkova.