Jessica Pegula returns to US Open women’s tennis quarterfinals with win over fellow American Ann Li
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NEW YORK -- Jessica Pegula is back in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament, which used to be her roadblock.
The way Pegula is playing at this U.S. Open, it may be just another stop on the way back to the final.
The No. 4 seed rolled into the last eight by routing fellow American Ann Li 6-1, 6-2 in just 54 minutes on Sunday. She will face Barbora Krejcikova on Tuesday after the two-time Grand Slam champion fought off eight match points in a second set that ended with a 25-minute tiebreaker and beat Taylor Townsend 1-6, 7-6 (13), 6-3.
Townsend was trying to reach her first quarterfinal in her 31st Grand Slam appearance.
Pegula hasn't dropped a set this year at Flushing Meadows, and only once was she even kept on court for more than 1 hour, 15 minutes.
"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 said of Sunday's victory. "I was just hitting the ball, doing everything well, executing my strategy very well and got through it pretty quick."
Pegula had been 0-6 in Grand Slam quarterfinals before upsetting Iga Swiatek in that round last year. She went on to reach the final, where was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka.
Also Sunday
Carlos Alcaraz hit a behind-the-back shot to win a point in a 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-4 victory over Arthur Rinderknech that made the Spaniard the youngest man in the Open era to reach 13 Grand Slam quarterfinals.
Novak Djokovic reached his record 64th career Grand Slam quarterfinal by defeating qualifier Jan-Lennard Stuff 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 despite being bothered by his neck. Next for Djokovic is a meeting against Taylor Fritz, last year's runner-up and the only American man remaining. Djokjovic is 10-0 against Fritz, who beat No. 21 Tomas Machac in straight sets.
Sabalenka returned to the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Cristina Bucsa late Sunday.
Today's schedule
Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka will meet in a fourth-round matchup, six years after Osaka beat a then-15-year-old Gauff in the same round.
Wimbledon champions Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek also will be in action as the remaining quarterfinal matchups are set.
Venus Williams and Leylah Fernandez will play their third-round women's doubles match against the No. 12-seeded team of Ekaterina Alexandrova and Zhang Shuai.