Jessica Pegula proved once again that she thrives in tight situations, advancing to her first Wuhan Open quarterfinals with a hard-fought 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 victory over No. 9 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova. The match lasted 2 hours and 6 minutes, highlighting Pegula’s resilience and competitive spirit.
Pegula Excels in Three-Set Battles
For the sixth consecutive tournament outing, Pegula played a three-set match, winning five of the six. “I can’t remember the last time I played two sets,” Pegula said after the match. “But I’ve been competing really hard and playing a lot of top players. The conditions today with the roof closed were different, and it took us a little while to adjust. After that, I felt like it was really high-level tennis for the rest of the match. I’m just excited I was able to get over the finish line.”
Breaking New Ground
The victory improved Pegula’s head-to-head record against Alexandrova to 3-3 and marked her first win over the Russian on a surface other than clay. Pegula’s consistent performance under pressure reinforces her credentials as a strong contender in the Race to the WTA Finals.
Next Challenge In the quarterfinals, Pegula will face the winner of Iva Jovic vs. Katerina Siniakova, aiming to continue her push for a fourth consecutive WTA Finals appearance.