Jessica Pegula has admitted she was more animated than usual during her Indian Wells win over Jelena Ostapenko.
Home favorite Pegula was forced to come from behind in the round of 32 clash to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in California, much to the delight of the Indian Wells fans.
The American fifth seed battled Latvian 26th seed Ostapenko for one hour and 46 minutes before clinching the victory.
But it certainly wasn’t a straightforward victory for WTA superstar Pegula, who admitted to frustration early on in the match.
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Jessica Pegula admits being ‘more animated’ than usual vs Jelena Ostapenko
When asked afterwards if she feels a sense of calm during difficult times, she explained: “Yeah, I think I was a little more animated than I usually am today, probably in a negative way of just showing some frustration, especially early on, because I could tell she was playing well, and I was just kind of, like, here we go again, I’m going to have to do this again.
“I was maybe hoping she started off worse. I don’t know. Maybe I could have gotten it in two sets, but yeah, I mean, I’m not that animated.
“So even when I feel like my attitude is really not great, people don’t really notice it that much.
“But I think today was a little bit, and I had to kind of snap myself back and kind of lock in to not let that get away from me, because then obviously it starts to affect everything.
“I kept telling myself I wasn’t actually playing bad. It’s one thing you’re frustrated you’re not playing well. I didn’t think I was playing bad. I thought I was playing pretty well.
“It was just letting a couple chances, couple breaks here and there, maybe a couple shots that I could have been more aggressive on.
“So I think just having to check myself at a certain point in the match, for sure, just to kind of make sure I was still thinking clearly and not really getting, you know, run over with emotion.”
| Jessica Pegula | Jelena Ostapenko | |
| 66.2% 51/77 | Total service points won | 55.1% 43/78 |
| 44.9% 35/78 | Total return points won | 33.8% 26/77 |
| 55.5% 86/155 | Total points won | 44.5% 69/155 |
Jessica Pegula prefers hot conditions to cold
Pegula was also tasked with the impending change in conditions at Indian Wells after her victory over Ostapenko.
She discussed how the court may change with the significantly hotter weather that is set to arrive in California, along with the wind.
READ MORE: Jessica Pegula can equal one of Maria Sharapova’s tennis records at Indian Wells this week
Sharing her preference between warm days and cool nights, Pegula said: “Yeah, I played one match at night.
“It was fairly cool. Today it was really nice out, to be honest, just kind of a nice day, not overly hot.
“I was here the first few days where it was pretty hot, 90-plus. It definitely flies and plays much faster when it’s hotter. When it’s cooler, it kind of slows down a little bit the conditions.
“So I usually like playing in a more hotter, faster type of environment, and then obviously we have the wind too.
“Sometimes it can get really windy and that definitely plays a part. It’s just tough. You always have to adjust and kind of adapt day to day.
“Yeah, it’s something that I have been trying to get better at myself, so I prefer more of the day just because we’re practicing more during the day, so I think I’m just more used to it.”
Which Grand Slam is Jessica Pegula most likely to win?
World number five Pegula, who also needed three sets to beat Donna Vekic, now meets Belinda Bencic at Tennis Paradise.
The American enters her round of 16 clash with the Swiss ace with a disastrous record, having lost all four of their previous matches.
But she should be quietly confident of finally getting over the line against Bencic after her hard-fought win over Ostapenko and her overall form.
The American star travelled to Indian Wells on the back of a title at the Dubai Tennis Championships, her 10th career success.
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