Jessica Pegula reveals her goal was "to keep the pressure on" Emma Raducanu but also admits she was "lucky" on certain match points.
Down by a set and facing a 2-5 deficit in the second-set tie-break of their Beijing third-round match, Pegula managed to win two points on her serve before Raducanu hit a double fault that leveled the tie-break to five points apiece. While the Briton blew a 5-2 lead, she still had a golden chance to close out the match since she held three match points. Unfortunately for the world No. 32, she didn't manage to over the edge after the fifth-seeded American pulled off two stunning backhand winners en route to saving multiple match points and completing a 3-6 7-6 (11) 6-0 comeback win.
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Pegula: It was a crazy and intense match... I just tried to keep fighting as long as I could
"That was a crazy match. That was really intense. But I got myself back into the tiebreak and just wanted keep pressure on. When she hit the double fault [leading 5-4], I knew I was still playing some good tennis. It was right there, it was really, really close. And to be honest, I think I got a little lucky on those two backhand winners [both down match point]. But I just tried to keep fighting for as long as I could," the American reflected.
For Pegula and Raducanu, this was yet another tight battle between them. In the past, the American won their 2022 Cincinnati clash in two sets but lost in three sets when they met on the grass courts of Eastbourne last year. Before their Beijing encounter, they also faced in Miami earlier this year, with the American also winning in three sets 6-4 6-7 (3) 6-2.
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Next up for Pegula in the Beijing round-of-16 will be a meeting against Marta Kostyuk.
