Jessica Pegula is determined to stay in the present after reaching the third round in Cincinnati.
The American had to battle her way to victory as she edged past Martina Trevisan 6-7(2) 6-2 6-3.
Pegula has had an eventful last month with the low of losing her dog before the US hard court swing to winning the title last week in Montreal, defeating Iga Swiatek along the way.
Speaking before her Cincinnati campaign Pegula detailed her week in Canada and said remaining calm while things aren’t going her way is the key to success, “I had played a couple of really tough matches in D.C. and I was so tired,” Pegula told WTA Insider.
“I had a horrible travel day. The next day, I remember telling my coach I literally feel hungover. I’m so tired from the heat, from the last two matches, the first week on hard court outside in the heat, bad travel day. I honestly wasn’t feeling very well for Monday and Tuesday. I was like, I think I’m getting sick.
“Sometimes the weeks where I am not feeling great going into them, are the weeks that I have my best results. That’s something that would have completely derailed me like three or four years ago. It would have consumed me and I probably would have lost first or second round because I was so frustrated about something.
“But now, if it’s almost going too well or I feel too good, I’m like ‘Ew.’ That means something is going to start going bad when I start the tournament. Now I’m the opposite.”
It’s clearly a mentality and formula that works for Pegula who claimed her second WTA 1000 title last week.
Now the American looks to continue to stay in the present as she intensifies her US Open preparations and aims to be a contender in New York, “Since Wimbledon, I think I’ve made more of a conscious effort mentally to play more aggressively and I’ve just been seeing the ball, for whatever reason, pretty well,” the American explained.
“I think I’m past the phase of ‘Oh, I hope I keep winning. I’m not going to sit there and put undue pressure on myself. Maybe it’s me getting older. I don’t care. Whatever happens, happens.”
Next for Pegula is Marie Bouzkova in the third round on Thursday.
