After losing in singles, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula will be playing in the semifinals of the 2023 Miami Open in doubles.
The younger of the successful duo lost already in the third round, while the more-experienced Pegula made it to the semifinal where she lost to Elena Rybakina. Thanks to their incredible success in the doubles, they had another chance to play in front of the crowd in Miami, competing in the quarterfinal match against the sixth-seeded team Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens.
Both duos played their last doubles match five days ago, as their quarterfinal meeting was postponed multiple times due to the weather and subsequent clash in the schedule with Pegula's singles matches. But after a long wait, the match could be resumed after the first four games were played on previous days, with Mertens and Hunter leading 3-1.
After resuming the action, both teams had a chance to break but eventually saved all of the break points. Thanks to their one-break advantage from the previous play, Hunter and Mertens had two chances to end the first set.
First, they had two set point on their opponent's serve in the ninth game, and after failing to convert those, they had two more on their own serve. But supported by the home crowd, Gauff and Pegula levelled the score and forced a tie-break.
However, their opponents were better in a tie-break, winning it 7-4 and they carried the momentum into the second set, breaking twice to lead 3-1 and then 4-2. But every time, the Americans broke back and eventually added one more break to win the second set 7-5.
The match had to be decided in a super tie-break and it was a story of two women. Riding on the positive wave from the end of the second set, Gauff and Pegula showcased their repertoire of shots, winning the super tie-break 10-2 and advancing to the 2023 Miami Open semifinals.
Despite incredible heroics to battle through the quarterfinal match, it's not over for the American duo on Friday. After a suitable rest, they will step onto the Grandstand once more, this time facing the eighth-seeded Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Ellen Perez.
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