Jessica Pegula Cruises Through US Open
American tennis player Jessica Pegula, runner-up at the US Open last year, demonstrated her power on the court by defeating Anna Blinkova in just 64 minutes. With a score of 6-1 and 6-3, Pegula secured her place in the third round of the tournament for the sixth consecutive year.
Since the beginning of 2021, Pegula, currently ranked fourth, has accumulated an impressive record of 32 victories in Grand Slam matches on hard courts. This figure positions her as the third player with the most wins on this type of surface, only behind Aryna Sabalenka (50) and Iga Swiatek (36). In her next challenge, Pegula will face Victoria Azarenka, two-time Australian Open champion and former world number one. Azarenka, who is not seeded in the tournament, represents a tough obstacle in the American’s path. Veteran Azarenka, 36 years old and a three-time US Open finalist, reached her 100th victory in Grand Slam hard court matches after defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova with a score of 6-3 and 6-3. With this achievement, Azarenka joins a select group of players who have surpassed this mark, including Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Steffi Graf, and Lindsay Davenport. Another tennis player who advanced to the second round is Emma Navarro, tenth seed, who defeated Caty McNally in an American duel with a score of 6-2 and 6-1. British Emma Raducanu also secured her place in the next phase by winning her second-round match with a score of 6-2 and 6-1 against Janice Tjen. Raducanu has shown a great level, losing only six games so far in the tournament, her lowest amount in the first two rounds of a Grand Slam in her career. Alexandra Eala, who made history in the first round by becoming the first Filipino player to win a Grand Slam match, saw her participation in New York come to an end after being defeated by Spaniard Cristina Bucsa with a score of 6-4 and 6-3.
