Pegula on Facing Alexandrova Again: "I Hoped Not to Meet Her This Early in the Tournament"

Jessica Pegula is in great form at the start of the season. The American, who returned to the world No. 3 spot after winning titles in Austin and Charleston since January, easily qualified for the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 tournament in Stuttgart, which will take place this Saturday afternoon.

On court after her victory over Magdalena Frech (6-1, 6-1), Pegula was asked about her next opponent, Ekaterina Alexandrova.

The Russian has already defeated four top-10 players since the start of the season, the most recent being Mirra Andreeva—despite the latter winning two WTA 1000 titles this year—in this Stuttgart tournament.

This will be the third meeting between the two players in 2025, after Doha (a match won by Alexandrova) and the semifinal in Charleston, which Pegula won in a thriller (6-2, 2-6, 7-5).

"She’s a great tennis player. Obviously, she played very well today (after her win over Andreeva). To be honest, I was hoping not to face her this early in the tournament.

I don’t think I’ve fully recovered physically from our last match. It’s going to be a great match to play. She’s beaten a lot of top players lately, but she’s also a top player herself.

I think she’s having a really strong season, so it’s definitely going to be tough," Pegula elaborated on the German court after her win over the Polish player.