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Jessica Pegula’s third-round clash against Elina Svitolina at the US Open lasted an hour and 51 minutes and went the distance. In the end, the world no. 3 prevailed, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 over the Ukrainian. The Pegula-Svitolina match-up was their second meeting during this year’s North American swing.
The previous time they played each other this year, Pegula had triumphed after having come from a set down. This time around, Pegula was the one who took the lead in the match although Svitolina did her best to push the match into the third set.
In the deciding set, while serving first, Svitolina won her first two service games. Thereafter, the set was dictated by the racquet of Pegula who won the next four consecutive games to get into the second week of her home Slam.
Pegula faced only three break points in the match and lost her serve just once – in the second set, in the 10th game. The 29-year-old, however, brought up eight break points on her opponent’s serve of which, she converted three.
Pegula finished the match with five more winners to Svitolina’s 26 and had 35 unforced errors to the latter’s 21. In the next round, Pegula will have an American derby against Madison Keys. The 17th seed overcame the loss of the opening set to pip 12th seed Liudmila Samsonova, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.
Another of Pegula and Keys’ compatriots, Peyton Stearns also made it to the second week at Flushing Meadows. Stearns won against Great Britain’s Katie Boulter, 6-4, 6-3. This is the first time in her career that the 21-year-old’s gone this far at a Major.
In the next round, seeking another first of her career, Stearns will take on ninth seed Marketa Vondrousova. Vondrousova played sublimely to get through against 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, 6-2, 6-1 in under 60 minutes.
US Open: Marketa Vondrousova's 'vondourful' showing!
The match began with a break of Alexandrova’s serve. Although she did get the break back, she wasn’t able to consolidate it and handed another break to Vondrousova.
Vondrousova’s hold over the proceedings never faltered and she secured a third break on Alexandrova’s serve in the seventh game of the set. However, while trying to serve out the set, there was a slight lapse in concentration from the Czech and she conceded a break back at love.
But with her own serve acting up, Alexandrova wasn’t able to take any advantage of the break back and surrendered the set to her opponent, again at love. In the second set, Vondrousova’s shots flowed even as Alexandrova looked perplexed about the way the match was turning out.
Throughout that set, Vondrousova had just three unforced errors even as Alexandrova’s shots kept heading out. A brief hint at a fightback was posed by Alexandrova right at the end, when she was serving 5-0 down. She caught her higher-ranked rival opponent off-guard a couple of times in that game and was able to finally put herself on the scoreboard.
In the seventh game, on Vondrousova’s serve, she also saved a couple of match points. But her fighting spirit came a little too late as the left-hander grabbed the win off a winner on her third match point. Lastly, Ons Jabeur and Qinwen Zheng have set a fourth-round clash at the US Open.
The fifth-seeded Jabeur needed yet another three-setter to vanquish 31st seed Marie Bouzkova, 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3. Zheng’s match against Lucia Bronzetti was also decided in three sets, with her winning 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.