Jessica Pegula has enjoyed a lightning start to the hard court season after retaining her Canadian Open title with a victory against compatriot Amanda Anisimova.
The wins have been flowing since too, with Jessica Pegula currently on an eight-match unbeaten run heading into the Cincinnati semi-finals.
Pegula keeps coming up against plucky players who’ve upset one of the top seeds, with Coco Gauff’s conqueror Diana Shnaider her semi-final opponent in Toronto, and now Leylah Fernandez in Cincinnati, after she defeated Elena Rybakina.
Fernandez is always tremendously difficult to break down and proved exactly that for the American, with Pegula only clinching the match in a deciding set tie-break.
With a lapse in the second-set Pegula was quick to admit the ways in which she handled the match slightly poorly, as she just about held off a Fernandez fightback.
Jessica Pegula blames a lack of energy for her inconsistent quarter-final appearance
After two tie-breaks and over three hours on court, Pegula managed to heave herself over the line as she has become so good at doing on the North American hard courts.
However, with the second set getting away from her after she led 4-0, Pegula was transparent about her overall performance.
“I mean I feel in the second set I did a good job of getting up and then I had an energy lull where my energy just dropped. She took really good advantage of that,” Pegula admitted.
With new balls, you are playing quick and fast and it went really quickly. Then I got annoyed and I was annoyed towards the end of the second set.
“Then to the third I just said ‘you have to snap back’. I was able to hold that first game and did a couple of ‘come ons’ and got myself going,” the world number six explained.
“Sometimes you have to let it out a bit and snap back to reality. I feel like I have done that a couple of times this match where you have to let your emotions go and reset really quickly.”
Is Jessica Pegula getting lucky with her opponents?
Iga Swiatek has been battling away against two up and coming top 20 players, before getting ready to afce Aryna Sabalenka in her semi-final.
The Belarusian has too had her work cut out, with Liudmila Samsonova and Elina Svitolina providing stern tests after her surprise defeat to Amanda Anisimova in Toronto last week.
Pegula all the while retained without playing anyone within the top 20 and it will take her until the final in Cincinnati to meet her first serious contender on the WTA Tour.
While her semi-final is against the revived Paula Badosa who’s sat as high as number two in the world, she is yet to face a single player ranked all that close to her.
Her form in Toronto was excellent with her ability to problem solve one of the best on the tour.
Moreover of course, Pegula has no say in the draw or other results and so can only play who’s put in front of her.
Still however, she is yet to face what you’d consider a real test.
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