Jessica Pegra showcased her skills on Sunday.
In her fourth match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the World No. 4 clinched a victory, delivering a forehand winner down the line to finish with a score of 6-1, 6-2 against fellow American Anne Lee in just 54 minutes.
The reigning US Open Women’s Singles finalist is set to compete in the 2025 US Open, facing either American Taylor Townsend or Czech player Barbora Klezikova on Tuesday.
“I felt really comfortable today,” Pegra remarked on the court after her match. “I felt like I was watching the ball at the right time. It doesn’t always feel that good, but today it just clicked, and I wanted to keep it going until the last point.”
Pegra has had a rocky history with quarterfinals. Before reaching the final last year, she had been 0-6 in Grand Slam quarterfinals.
The first set on Sunday lasted a mere 25 minutes. Lee’s backhand slices often found the net, allowing Pegra to break early. Cheers of “Let’s Go Jessie!” erupted from the crowd.
Pegra moved adeptly between the baseline and the net, winning 12 out of 15 net points and securing 85% of her first serve points. With two aces and 12 winners, she forced 12 errors from Lee, compared to Lee’s 19.
The two had previously faced each other at Roland Garros earlier in the season, where Pegra won but not without being challenged, taking the match 6-3, 7-6 (3).
“When she’s serving well and has her confidence, she’s quite dangerous,” Pegra noted. “Maybe she was a bit off today, not quite in rhythm. Whatever it was, I made sure she didn’t get comfortable out there.”
As Pegra aims for another finals appearance at Flushing Meadows, she still remembers her close match against No. 1 Arena Sabalenka last year, where she lost in straight sets, 7-5, 7-5.
