WHAT HAPPENED: American Jessica Pegula will carry her winning form into the third round of the 2024 US Open after registering a 7-6(4), 6-3 defeat of countrywoman Sofia Kenin on Thursday in Louis Armstrong Stadium. The sixth seed has now won 11 of her past 12 matches, a stretch that includes a successful WTA 1000 title defense in Toronto.
The loss will surely sting for the 2020 Australian Open champion Kenin, who was up a break early in both sets.
“You know she’s up and down. Stay the course,” advised Pegula’s coach, Mark Merklein, from courtside. “This girl can play. Just stay with it.”
Heeding his advice, Pegula roared back each time. She converted three of seven break points in the one-hour, 27-minute match.
“I think I started serving a little bit better,” said Pegula, who would finish with six aces to two doubles faults. “I thought I served pretty well in the moments that I had to. I knew I was right there and had chances to break. She’s really tough. She’s a good returner. When she’s hitting her shots and getting really good depth, it makes it really hard.”
They were facing each other for the first time since 2021. Pegula now leads the head-to-head, 3-2.
WHAT IT MEANS: Pegula, 30, has turned a seemingly ho-hum season into a year to remember. After a disappointing second-round loss at the Paris Games, she became the first American woman since Serena Williams in 2013 to reach back-to-back WTA 1000 finals in Canada and Cincinnati.
Awaiting her in Round 3 is the upset-minded Jessica Bouzas Maneiro of Spain. Earlier this summer, the 21-year-old baseliner stunned defending champion Marketa Vondrousova in the opening round at Wimbledon. On Thursday, she upended 31st seed Katie Boulter of Great Britain, 7-5, 7-5.
MATCH POINT: Pegula is undefeated against her fellow Americans this year at a perfect 11-0. “I knew that my record was really good, so today I wanted to get one more,” said Pegula. “I just get juiced up to play Americans, I guess.”
