Brady beats close friend Pegula in all-American quarterfinal matchup

Jennifer Brady has reached her second Grand Slam semifinal in a row by beating fellow American and good friend Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 at the Australian Open.

Brady’s opponent Thursday will be Karolina Muchova. The No. 25 seed rallied past No. 1 Ash Barty 1-6, 6-3, 6-2. The United States will have a semifinalist in the women’s draw at Melbourne for the 11th year in a row.

The No. 22-seeded Brady struggled at times and gave her racket an angry toss midway through the second set. The unseeded Pegula, who advanced beyond the third round at a major for the first time, appeared to tire down the stretch.

Brady is a former UCLA star. She reached her first major semifinal at the U.S. Open in September.