CNN
—
There will be more American representation in the women’s quarter-finals at the US Open, as Jessica Pegula advanced to the quarter-finals in New York for the second time in three years by beating Diana Shnaider – 6-4, 6-2 – on Monday.
Pegula beat her young Russian opponent in one hour and 27 minutes, joining compatriot Emma Navarro in the quarter-finals after beating defending champion and world number three Coco Gauff on Sunday.
After breaking twice in the first set to win three games in a row and move within one game of the top seed, Pegula had to fend off a flurry of shots from Shnaider. The 20-year-old Russian fought back to put the sixth seed under pressure, but Pegula held her nerve and served for the set at the second attempt.
With the cheering crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City cheering, the 30-year-old broke Shnaider’s serve in the third game of the second set and again in the seventh game to move within one game of the round of 16.
This time, Shnaider made no such rally, with Pegula closing the match with an ace to reach her seventh career Grand Slam quarterfinal.
type=”image/webp”> type=”image/webp”> type=”image/webp”> type=”image/webp”>>>>>
The Buffalo native has recently been in her best form of the season on hard courts in North America. She defended her Canadian Open title before reaching the Cincinnati Open final. Her loss to world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in Ohio is her only defeat in her last 14 matches.
Her run to the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows is her best performance at a Grand Slam tournament this year after second-round exits at the Australian Open and Wimbledon and missing the French Open through injury.
“I feel like the pressure is higher this year because I played really well before this tournament,” Pegula said on court after the match. “So to still be able to be here and win, I feel like today was maybe the best match I’ve ever had, so I want to keep working and hopefully bring my best tennis for the next rounds.”
“There’s always a lot of pressure here but it’s fun, it’s enjoyable, I like it. It’s always nice to be an American here and have all the support.”
Pegula is hoping to finally reach the quarter-finals – she is 0-6 at this stage in Grand Slams.
In the next round, she will face either Liudmila Samsonova or world number 1 Iga Świątek.
Karolína Muchová’s impressive run at the US Open continues.
The resurgent Czech beat fifth seed Jasmine Paolini – 6-3, 6-3 – in just over an hour on Monday to reach the quarter-finals.
Seemingly finally free of the injuries that have hampered her throughout her career, the 28-year-old scored huge wins en route to the quarter-finals, knocking out Naomi Osaka in the second round and world number 38 Anastasia Potapova in the third round.
type=”image/webp”> type=”image/webp”> type=”image/webp”> type=”image/webp”>>>>>
Paolini came into the match with more Grand Slam wins than anyone else this year, having reached the finals of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, but was no match for an inspired Muchová, who is playing some of the best tennis of her career and has yet to drop a set in the tournament.
Last year, she reached the semi-finals of the US Open and reached a career-high ranking of No. 8 in the world, but she suffered an injury and was forced to end her season shortly after to undergo wrist surgery. She has also suffered back, abdominal and ankle injuries.
Muchová spent nine months off the court and only returned to Eastbourne in June this year. Now unseeded at Flushing Meadows, she has looked almost unplayable at times as she looks to defend a pile of 2023 ranking points.
She has already produced some top-notch performances, including a stunning backhand lob in her first-round match. She has also used the “SABR” – short for “Sneak Attack by Roger” and popularized by the legendary Roger Federer. SABR involves a player aggressively attacking a second serve by moving up the court on the return and heading toward the net to finish the point.
She will face Caroline Wozniacki or Beatriz Haddad Maia in the quarter-finals.
