New York, Sep 1 (AP) Jessica Pegula has reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament once more, overcoming what was previously a stumbling block for her. The way Pegula is performing at this U.S. Open signals this might be just a step on her journey back to the final.
The No. 4 seed advanced to the last eight by comfortably defeating fellow American Ann Li 6-1, 6-2 in just 54 minutes on Sunday. Pegula's next opponent will be Barbora Krejcikova, who displayed resilience by saving eight match points in a second set that featured a 25-minute tiebreaker, eventually overcoming Taylor Townsend 1-6, 7-6 (13), 6-3. Townsend aimed to reach her first-ever quarterfinal in her 31st Grand Slam bid.
Pegula has not lost a set at this year's tournament, spending more than 1 hour and 15 minutes on court in only one match. "Probably the best match, honestly, I've played since, like, before Wimbledon I feel like from the start to finish. So that was encouraging," Pegula remarked about Sunday's performance. "I was just hitting the ball, doing everything well, executing my strategy very well and got through it pretty quick.” Previously 0-6 in Grand Slam quarterfinals, Pegula broke that streak by defeating Iga Swiatek last year. She reached the final, where Aryna Sabalenka bested her. However, she was unsure if her form was ready for a repeat performance upon her return to New York.
Before the U.S. Open, Pegula had lost four out of her last six singles matches. She admitted to struggling in a practice session with Sabalenka days before the tournament, cutting it short to enjoy an escape room outing with friends instead. Nonetheless, her form has improved dramatically since then.
“Like I said, I haven't been feeling my best on court, so to be able to come back and make another quarterfinal here is something I'm definitely proud of,” Pegula shared. “Of course, I want to go further and do more and win the tournament, but I feel like just on a personal kind of goal level, I'm happy with the way I've been able to kind of turn some of my tennis around the last few weeks.” The 58th-ranked Ann Li, the highest-ranked player Pegula has faced in this tournament, could not withstand Pegula's powerful play, suffering in her first major round of 16 appearance. Pegula broke all four of Li's serves in the 25-minute first set, with Li registering just five winners against 19 unforced errors.
Pegula should be the fresher player Tuesday, considering Krejcikova—who was out nearly five months due to a back injury—had a grueling journey to reach the quarterfinals. She defeated the 10th-seeded American Emma Navarro in 2 1/2 hours during the third round and endured a marathon 3-hour, 4-minute match on Sunday, with the second set alone lasting 98 minutes. “I don't worry. I'm not really thinking about it right now,” Krejcikova stated. “I'm just really happy that I won today because, I mean, also, if one point didn't go my way, I would have been searching for flights.”
Highlights from the US Open on Sunday: Carlos Alcaraz exhibited flair, executing a behind-the-back shot for a point in his 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-4 win over Arthur Rinderknech, becoming the youngest man in the Open Era to reach 13 Grand Slam quarterfinals. Novak Djokovic secured his record 64th Grand Slam quarterfinal by defeating qualifier Jan-Lennard Stuff 6-3, 6-3, 6-2, despite dealing with neck discomfort. Djokovic will face Taylor Fritz next, last year’s runner-up and the remaining American man in the draw. Djokovic has a flawless 10-0 record against Fritz, who recently beat No. 21 Tomas Machac in straight sets. Aryna Sabalenka progressed to the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Cristina Bucsa and will contend against the 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, who overcame 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, aided by 13 aces, three in the last game.
Monday's Schedule at the US Open: Coco Gauff will face Naomi Osaka in a fourth-round clash, reminiscent of their meeting six years ago when a young 15-year-old Gauff lost to Osaka. Wimbledon titleholder Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek will also be playing to finalize the quarterfinal matchups. Venus Williams and Leylah Fernandez will compete in their third-round women's doubles match against the 12th-seeded team of Ekaterina Alexandrova and Zhang Shuai. (AP)
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