"I realize how tough it is competing against your friend" - Chris Evert shares her thoughts on Coco Gauff facing Jessica Pegula in Berlin SF
Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff’s Berlin showdown drew eyeballs, with former World No. 1 Chris Evert also reacting to the contest. The two were locked in a battle for a spot in the WTA 500 event’s final.
Evert was quick to take note of the duo’s off-court relationship in her post on ‘X’, writing that watching Gauff and Pegula reminded her how difficult playing against a friend can be.
Notably, Gauff and Pegula have been friends for a long time and also share the court for the women’s doubles events on Tour and Grand Slam events.
"As I watch this @JPegula @CocoGauff match, I realize how tough it is competing against your friend/ practice partner/ doubles partner," Chris Evert wrote on 'X'.
Both Gauff and Pegula were playing in their second match of the day, with their respective quarterfinal contests being pushed back a day due to inclement weather conditions.
Rain and overcast skies again delayed the start of play on Saturday. Gauff took to the centre court against Ons Jabeur, winning a tight first set in a tiebreaker 7-6 (9). After dropping the first set, the Tunisian, who was experiencing some physical problems, decided to pull the plug, allowing the American to advance to the semifinals.
Pegula, meanwhile, completed her match against Katerina Siniakova after it had been suspended due to poor light on Friday. The American came through in three sets: 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3.
The winning duo returned later in the day for the semifinal contest. The first set went down to the wire, with Pegula edging her opponent out to take it 7-5. The second set was just as competitive and the two were locked in at 6-6 when the match had to be suspended, once again due to poor light.
Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula look to follow in Chris Evert's footsteps to win Berlin title
Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff will look to follow in Chris Evert’s footsteps to lift the trophy in Berlin.
Evert is a two-time champion at the tournament. She first lifted the trophy in 1983, when the tournament was still played on clay, beating Kathleen Horvath in the summit clash. She came back to bag a second title two years later, defeating Steffi Graf in the 1985 final.
The top seed at this year’s tournament, Gauff, has scored wins over Ons Jabeur (courtesy of her retirement) and Ekaterina Alexandrova to reach the semifinals. Pegula, who is the third seed, has gotten the better of Katerina Siniakova and Donna Vekic en-route to the last-four. Neither has ever won a title on grass thus far.