Photo : Martin Sidorjak
There’s a reason why Jessica Pegula is one of the most consistent performers on the WTA Tour. She showed why on Thursday with yet another efficient and steady performance to defeat Canadian Bianca Andreescu 6-4, 6-4 in the Round of 16 at the Guadalajara Open, a prestigious WTA 1000 event in Mexico.
Andreescu jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening set, but then proceeded to unravel thanks to multiple unforced errors, especially off the forehand wing and she let her frustration boil over on several occasions. Trailing 3-5, the 22-year-old saved four set points on serve and led 0-30 in the next return game, but Pegula found a few big first serves when she needed them most to get herself out of trouble and eventually held to take the opening set.
It was one-way traffic for Pegula in the second frame until 5-2 when Andreescu broke and held in consecutive games to give her opponent something to think about. Serving for the match a second time at 5-4, Pegula quickly trailed 0-30, but raised her level just in time and played four impressive points to close out the match in straight sets. As a result, she improves her head-to-head against Andreescu to 2-1. The Canadian will now prepare to represent her country in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Glasgow next month.
Auger-Aliassime Victorious in Antwerp
Fresh off his second career ATP title in Florence on Sunday, Félix Auger-Aliassime continued his winning ways on Thursday at the European Open in Antwerp, Belgium.
READ: Rivard: Félix – Ticket to Turin
He ousted French lucky loser, Manuel Guinard, 6-3, 6-3 in his opening match at the ATP 250 event as his quest for qualification into the Nitto ATP Finals. In Friday’s quarter-finals, he’ll take on Brit Daniel Evans. Meanwhile, at the Stockholm Open in Sweden, Denis Shapovalov will face Aussie Alex de Minaur in the final eight tomorrow.
