Jessica Pegula beats Coco Gauff at the WTA Finals to reach the title match

CANCUN, Mexico (AP) — Jessica Pegula outplayed U.S. Open winner Coco Gauff and beat her 6-2, 6-1 at the WTA Finals on Saturday in a matchup between American doubles partners on a rainy and windy evening to reach the title match at the season-ending championship for the first time.

Their semifinal was tied at 2-all when the fifth-seeded Pegula, a 29-year-old American who is a decade older than Gauff, reeled off six games in a row to claim the opening set and lead 2-0 in the second.

This was the first time two U.S. women played each other in the final four at this event since 2002, when Serena Williams defeated Jennifer Capriati. When Saturday's semifinal ended after an hour, Pegula and the third-seeded Gauff met at the net for a hug.

Pegula has won all eight sets she’s played this week at the tournament for the top eight players in women’s tennis. She is the first player since Williams in 2012 to get to the final without dropping a set and will meet No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka or No. 2 Iga Swiatek for the trophy on Sunday.

Gauff vs. Pegula started about an hour late because of showers — bad weather has been a theme throughout the WTA Finals — and then was delayed by two interruptions in the second set of just under 15 minutes each.

None of that seemed to slow Pegula, who is bidding for the most prestigious title of her career.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis