22nd seed Jennifer Brady has eliminated fellow American and good friend Jessica Pegula to qualify for the semi-finals at the Australian Open.
Brady, who had dropped serve just twice in the tournament prior to the match, was outclassed in the first set, before flipping the match on its head to record a 4-6 6-2 6-1 win.
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The loss ended what had been a dream run for the unseeded Pegula, who recorded the best Grand Slam appearance of her career, with her previous best being a third-round exit at last year's US Open.
After dropping the first set, Brady managed to pull it together in the second set, forcing Pegula to play from the baseline more after she dominated from the net in the first.
Pegula's serve crashed in the third set with double faults hurting her badly at pivotal moments.
In contrast Brady grew in confidence as the match wore on and she played her best tennis when she needed it most.
After a back and forth first game of the final set, Brady surged ahead winning the next six games in a row to win the match and book her first semi-final at a Grand Slam.
"In the beginning of the match I felt the pressure from her," Brady said after the win.
"Once you give her a short ball you're running from side-to-side. I felt I was doing a little too much of that was telling myself maybe I needed to change something, maybe try and play with more spin.
"It was hotter today and the court was a bit more bouncy today."
While Brady will face 25th seed Karolina Muchova in the semi-final, Pegula leaves the tournament having stunned fans both on and off the court, with her current ranking of No.62 sure to skyrocket after her showing.
Pegula arrived at the tournament virtually unknown among Australian tennis fans, but her family name is one synonymous with success in the United States.
Her parents, Kim and Terry, built their fortune in oil and gas and beat the likes of Donald Trump and rocker Jon Bon Jovi to buy the NFL franchise the Buffalo Bills, while they also own NHL side the Buffalo Sabres, with the family wealth estimated to be somewhere in the ball park of $5 billion.
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from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/tennis/jessica-pegula-dream-australian-open-run-ended-by-jennifer-brady/d35c80e0-3166-41bd-a0f9-99c5bed32b79
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