Pegula Triumphs After Three Hours and Seven Match Points

At the Dongfeng · Voyah Wuhan Open, Jessica Pegula triumphed over fellow American Hailey Baptiste in a thrilling three-set match. This was their third encounter, with Pegula aiming for her third consecutive win against Baptiste. The match lasted nearly three hours and featured seven match points before Pegula secured victory.

Pegula’s Hard-Fought Victory

The match concluded with Pegula, the No. 6 seed, defeating Baptiste with scores of 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (6). The total duration was 2 hours and 55 minutes, marking Pegula’s second consecutive progression to the third round in Wuhan.

Next Challenger

Pegula’s next opponent will be the No. 9 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who advanced by defeating another American player, Ann Li.

A Rollercoaster Match

Reflecting on the intense match, Pegula said, “It’s been brutal. I had match points, and then she started playing well. I’m really proud of how I held it together.” This performance came after Pegula’s recent semifinal loss to Linda Noskova in Beijing, demonstrating her resilience.

Match Highlights

• Pegula broke Baptiste in the opening game and secured a 4-1 lead in the first set.
• Baptiste responded by winning two straight games but could not overcome Pegula’s lead in the first set, which lasted 50 minutes.
• The second set saw Baptiste dominate, breaking Pegula twice to win the set 6-4 in 52 minutes.
• Despite leading 5-2 in the final set, Pegula faced stiff resistance from Baptiste, who fought back to level at 5-5.
• Pegula eventually converted her seventh match point in a tense tiebreak to win the match.

Gauff’s Impressive Performance

In another match, Coco Gauff displayed her prowess by defeating Moyuka Uchijima 6-1, 6-0. Gauff’s victory took just 51 minutes, allowing her to move into the third round for the second consecutive year.

Gauff’s Match Statistics

• Gauff won 12 of 13 games and 55 of 77 points.
• She finished the match with an impressive 85% success rate on first serves.
• Gauff recorded zero double faults and faced no break points.
• She kept her unforced errors to eight, alongside 16 winners.

Both Pegula and Gauff have shown remarkable performances at this year’s tournament in Wuhan, highlighting their competitiveness as they pursue success on the WTA tour.