WTA 1000 Wuhan: Pegula First to Qualify for Quarterfinals

Jessica Pegula was stronger in the crucial moments to dominate Ekaterina Alexandrova in Wuhan.
In the first match of the day at the WTA 1000 Wuhan, Jessica Pegula faced Ekaterina Alexandrova for a spot in the quarterfinals.

The two players know each other well, having faced off five times previously on the main tour. Before the match, the Russian led with 3 wins to 2. Having had a very strong season that allowed her to reach the best ranking of her career (11th place, which she currently holds), Alexandrova was a formidable opponent for the American, ranked 6th in the WTA.

Especially since Pegula, in fact, has been playing match after match. A semifinalist at the WTA 1000 Beijing, she had to work hard to overcome Hailey Baptiste in the previous round (6-4, 4-6, 7-6 in 2h55). But the 31-year-old player, full of confidence, managed to bounce back after a poor start to the match.

Quickly trailing 3-0 in the first set after just 8 minutes, Pegula mounted an incredible comeback. While Alexandrova was leading 5-2, Pegula then won five consecutive games to take the lead on the scoreboard. Mentally tougher, Alexandrova, who didn't let herself get discouraged, managed to break back at the end of the second set to level the match at one set all.

And even though the latter had managed to break Pegula's serve to lead 2-1 with a break in the decisive set, it was ultimately the American who pulled away to win (7-5, 3-6, 6-3 in 2h06).

She qualifies for the quarterfinals and will face Iva Jovic or Katerina Siniakova. The match was supposed to start early in the day in the Chinese city, but rain decided otherwise.