Jessica Pegula survived a big scare against Leylah Fernandez in order to reach the fourth round of the US Open.
It was a tough afternoon in the office for Pegula who came through against the former finalist 1-6 6-4 6-3.
The American was outclassed by Fernandez in the opening set as she was unable to find any confidence against the Canadian.
However, Fernandez played inspired tennis as she produced an impressive forehand display and won seven of the eight games.
In the second set both players exchanged breaks of serve but it was Pegula who remained firmer on serve.
The American broke for the set as she was aggressive and proactive on serve as she looked to dictate play earlier in the rally.
That proved to be the key to victory as Pegula edged through a tight deciding set to reach the second week of the US Open.
After the match Pegula described the start of the match as ‘lazy’ but was pleased to get through against the Canadian, “I always feel like it’s really tough to play her,” Pegula was quoted by the WTA website as saying in her on-court interview.
“I never feel comfortable when I’m playing her, even when I’ve won, so I knew that today, especially with the way I started, I was going to have to dig deep. Really glad I was able to find something there, especially in the second set, to turn it around.
”I don’t really feel like I was in the first set, figuring out where I was going to serve and where I was going to hit the first ball. I do think she played a little bit different today than when I’ve played her in the past. I just wasn’t quite moving my feet up to the ball; I was just a little lazy to start off.”
Pegula will now face Sorana Cirstea for a place in the quarter-finals as her quest for a first Grand Slam title continues.
There were also straight sets wins for world number one Aryna Sabalenka and Marta Kostyuk as the action continues to heat up in New York.
