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.
Pegula rolled into the last eight by routing fellow American Ann Li 6-1, 6-2, in just 54 minutes on Sunday. The No. 4 seed hasn’t dropped a set this year at Flushing Meadows, and only once was kept on court for more than an hour and 15 minutes.
After the match, Pegula said staying sharp through the early rounds is what she aimed for.
“When you come into a Slam, it’s a lot of matches. But I think once you kind of start working your way through, obviously going into the second week and being able to win, to be in the quarters today was, you know, a definitely a confidence booster,” Pegula told NBC News. “But obviously there’s still a long ways to go, so I’m trying to enjoy it a little bit today, and then my focus will be on the next match.”
Pegula will face either two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova or another American, Taylor Townsend, on Tuesday.
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.
The 58th-ranked Li was the highest-ranked player Pegula has faced in the tournament, but the 25-year-old was overpowered in her first appearance in a round of 16 in a major. Pegula broke her all four times she served in the 25-minute first set, and she had just five winners against 19 unforced errors in the match.
Pegula said she takes pride in being part of a strong American women’s contingent at this year’s U.S. Open.
“We’ve had a lot of depth, honestly, for the last few years now. We’ve had a lot of really good American players,” she said. “We’re only seeing even more as they get better and better, especially the younger girls. So it’s been really fun to be a part of it.”
Being a role model is another part of the experience that Pegula embraces.
“That’s honestly one of the best parts,” Pegula said. “When you get the really young girls or boys that come up to you and say, ‘I want to be just like you when I grew up,’ because that’s how I was when I was younger.”
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