“I tried to slow my serve down a little bit and try to hit more high kicks in the wind. When it’s right in her slot, it comes back harder and faster. In the past, I’d feel like, ‘I don’t understand; I’m not serving that bad and I’m hitting big serves.’” But she just takes it so early with the way she’s able to redirect it and hit it so flat and deep right at you.

“I was trying to stay focused, trying not to let the frustration take over, but it’s a hard balance. You’re teetering on trying to be aggressive but trying not to play low percentage in the wind. You’re trying to play smart in the wind while trying to mix it up. Today, it happened to work out. I can’t say that happens every single time, but I tried my best to keep my head and keep focusing on what I thought I needed to do.”

Into her fourth WTA final of the season, Pegula will now face Sofia Kenin, the winner of the second semifinal after countrywoman Amanda Anisimova was forced to retire.

“Finally, I made a finally here,” said the top seed, a two-time semifinalist at the tour’s premier green clay event. “I always feel like I’ve played some good tennis here. It’s similar to Miami: semi, semi, and now a final. Maybe the third time’s the charm here instead of losing in the final like Miami. I hope I can win tomorrow, but I know it’s going to be a tough match. These girls hit the ball similarly, very big, and they can hit a lot of winners.”