In the semifinals, Coco Gauff, a fellow American and partner in doubles, soundly defeated her in an attempt to become the first teenager to win the WTA Finals since 2004.
In Cancún, Mexico, Pegula, the fifth seed, defeated the 19-year-old US Open champion 6-2, 6-1, in just one hour.
Pegula told reporters, "At the end of the year, I was able to get my act together." "Coming here has helped me reset quite well."
"I managed to make it function," she continued. "I'm feeling good heading into the championship round."
In the championship match, Pegula will face either top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka or second-seeded Iga Świątek. The final has been rescheduled for Monday after the semifinal was postponed due to rain on Saturday after three games. It will resume on Sunday.
Either Sabalenka or Świątek will face a player who hasn't dropped a set in Cancún, having advanced to the final with a 4-0 record and three victories over opponents with better rankings.
It was her second victory over her countryman Gauff in three encounters. The 29-year-old outperformed her opponent in the difficult conditions, which included rain interruptions in the second set and a wind that swirled throughout. She broke Gauff six times and made just 11 unforced errors (Gauff committed 25 unforced errors overall).
Gauff would have became the first teenager to win the competition since Maria Sharapova did it in 2004, according to the WTA. In the year's final, a 17-year-old Sharapova triumphed over Serena Williams.
Pegula remarked, "It's probably my biggest final ever." "It will boost my confidence greatly for the upcoming year."
On Sunday, Gauff and Pegula will return to action as they compete in the doubles to earn a spot in the semifinals. With the Americans up 6-3 1-1, their round-robin match against Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonarava was halted on Friday.
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