US Open: Pegula cruises to quarters with commanding win over Li

New York, Aug 31 (IANS) Last year’s finalist Jessica Pegula stormed into the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 victory over fellow American Ann Li on Sunday, wrapping up the fourth-round clash in under an hour with a ruthless and clinical display on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Despite entering the tournament on the back of a shaky hardcourt swing - having made early exits in Washington, Montreal and Cincinnati - Pegula has found her rhythm in New York. The world number four is yet to drop a set at this year’s U.S. Open and looked in complete control throughout her match against Li, striking 12 winners and dictating play from the baseline with powerful, precise groundstrokes.

“I felt really comfortable moving today,” Pegula said after the win. “I felt like today I started off really well and I just wanted to keep executing that.”

Pegula, seeded fourth, had already beaten Li earlier this year in the second round of Roland Garros and appeared to draw confidence from that result, replicating the same aggressive approach. She got off to a flying start, winning the first three games of the opening set before Li managed to break her in the fourth to get on the scoreboard.

However, Pegula quickly responded by breaking back in the next game, regaining momentum. The opening set came to a close when Li committed a backhand error in the seventh game, handing Pegula the set.

In the second set, a baseline error from Li on a break point gifted Pegula an early lead once again, this time in the fourth game.

The match ended in fitting style, with Pegula firing a stunning backhand winner down the line and letting out a triumphant shout. The win not only marked her first Grand Slam quarter-final appearance of the year but also reaffirmed her status as one of the tournament’s top contenders.

Up next, she will face either Czech star Barbora Krejcikova or fellow American Taylor Townsend in the last eight.

--IANS

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