Jessica Pegula has stormed into the Italian Open round of 16 after a hugely impressive victory over Rebeka Masarova.
Pegula overcame her Swiss opponent 6-0, 6-0 in Rome, needing just one hour to clinch the comfortable win.
The American is the fifth seed at the WTA 1000 tournament, where she won her opener 6-4, 6-0 against Zeynep Sonmez.
Pegula is chasing her third title of the 2026 season at the Italian Open, where she has just made career history.
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Jessica Pegula claims first career double bagel in Rome
By defeating Masarova 6-0, 6-0, Pegula has claimed her first career double bagel in her 424th match, as per OptaAce.
OptaAce also noted Pegula has become the first player in the Open Era to claim three successive 6-0 sets at the Italian Open.
They are two superb achievements that should give the experienced American a real confidence boost for her next match.
The 32-year-old will now take on qualifier Anastasia Potapova, who has picked up impressive wins against seeded duo Karolina Muchova and Liudmila Samsonova.
Mixed fortunes for American women at the Italian Open
With successful title runs in Charleston and Dubai, Pegula has been among the standout players on the WTA Tour in 2026.
But she clearly isn’t resting on her laurels in Rome, where the American has wasted very little time in reaching the last 16.
And she has been joined at that stage of the event by compatriots Coco Gauff and Iva Jovic, who will face one another in the Italian capital.
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Rising star Jovic just knocked out fellow American Taylor Townsend to set up the match, with Hailey Baptiste and Madison Keys also falling in the third round.
The tournament is, of course, taking place shortly before the French Open, where Gauff will be out to defend her title.
American tennis fans will be desperate for more success this year, and Pegula will likely be in contention given her fantastic efforts of late.
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