Jessica Pegula has a couple of goals this week at the DC Open: trying to earn a third career singles title and building her game leading up to the final Grand Slam of the year.
She is off to a strong start in each department.
The fourth-ranked women’s player in the world and tournament’s top seed on Thursday shook off a slow start, beating fellow American Peyton Stearns 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the quarter-finals of the hard-court tuneup for the US Open.
Photo: AFP
Pegula wrapped it up just before the rain started, happy to fight through some windy conditions and get past a tough opponent.
Pegula won in Washington in 2019 and would love three more victories and another championship before leaving town.
“I definitely want to win the tournament: That’s why I’m here, but at the same time, first tournament on hard [courts] in a little while, so you definitely, I feel like, want to get your movement down, your footing down,” Pegula said. “Working through and problem-solving those things builds confidence, and ideally that’s what I want to keep building all the way up until the [US] Open.”
Photo: AFP
Pegula, 29, has never gotten further than the quarter-finals in a Grand Slam. She is coming off a quarter-final loss at Wimbledon and an exit in the round-of-32 at the French Open.
Each of her two singles titles have come on hard courts and this event is an opportunity for the Buffalo, New York, native to fine-tune some things about her play with an eye toward a long run at Flushing Meadows.
“I’m not trying to drastically change anything, but I think just trying little things here and there, and that’s kind of how you build confidence little by little,” Pegula said. “It’s just trying different things and not being afraid to try them.”
Because she got a bye, the match against Stearns was Pegula’s first of the tournament. She likes the rhythm of playing every day and was due back on the court yesterday against Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, who is on a roll after reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals, and knocking out Victoria Azarenka and Daria Kasatkina this week.
“She’s been competing really, really well and playing very fearless,” Pegula said. “It’s going to be a tough match. She’s been playing at a high level.”
The big upset of the day came just before Pegula and Stearns stepped onto the court. Sixth-ranked Caroline Garcia, the tournament’s second seed, got knocked out in the round-of-16 by Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-3.
Fans waved Ukraine’s blue-and-yellow flag in the stands after Kostyuk broke Garcia to win the match. She joined Svitolina as women’s players from the war-torn nation to reach the quarter-finals in Washington, with Kostyuk to play Liudmila Samsonova of Russia for a spot in the semi-finals.
In the men’s singles, fifth seed Grigor Dimitrov advanced to the quarter-finals by beating Emil Ruusuvuori 6-4, 6-3 and J.J. Wolf beat Michael Mmoh 6-4, 7-6 (7/5).
Rain washed out the evening action, which was supposed to feature Washington-area native Francis Tiafoe, followed by No. 1 seed Taylor Fritz against three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray.
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