Jessica Pegula came back from the brink to defeat Emma Raducanu at the China Open.
Pegula faced three match points in the second set but roared back to win the tie-breaker and then hand Raducanu a bagel in the third set.
The world number seven played some mesmeric tennis after losing the first set, showing no signs of a hangover following a semifinal defeat at the US Open to Aryna Sabalenka.
Some fans were concerned about Pegula ahead of her match against Raducanu, but it would appear that they didn’t need to be quite so worried.
Pegula has praised the Chinese fans at the tournament, and after beating Raducanu, she delivered a verdict on her own performance.
Jessica Pegula explains where she was lucky against Emma Raducanu
The 31-year-old played some really good tennis after losing the first set and after pinching the second set tie-breaker, she never looked back.
However, Pegula has conceded that she got a little bit lucky during the match and felt she played two particular shots that were extremely fortunate.
She said in her on-court post-match interview: “That was really intense to face match points, but I got myself back into it, and I wanted to keep the pressure on, and she hit the double fault, which helped, and I knew I was playing well. I got a bit lucky with the two backhand winners that I managed to squeeze in, but I just tried to keep fighting for as long as I could.”
Pegula will now play Ukrainian player Marta Kostyuk in the next round, looking to progress to the latter stages of the tournament.
What Jessica Pegula thought of the China Open crowd
Pegula is clearly enjoying the start of the Asian swing and has been a big fan of playing at the China Open.
The player has been in good form recently, and she will now hope to keep playing on the main court and wowing the fans with her all-action tennis.
Pegula also discussed the court and has admitted that she’s enjoyed playing at the event so far this year.
She continued: “That was a crazy match, thank you for the support for making it a fun atmosphere, you guys are rooting for both of us but it was a lot of fun out there.
“The crowd was awesome, and the court has been good to me, so I’m very excited to play here under the lights, I’m just happy to get through and hopefully I can come back on this court and see all the great fans once again.”
Pegula will want to finish 2025 with a flourish and with the WTA Finals on the horizon, it’s vital that the top players gain as much momentum as possible.
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