Jessica Pegula has just survived another three-setter in Beijing and she has been through to the China Open quarterfinal after beating Marta Kostyuk 6-3 6-7 (4) 6-1 in a match that finished past midnight.
Pegula, seeded at No. 5, blew two early breaks. However, the 2024 US Open finalist didn't panic as she earned two additional breaks in the seventh and ninth games to take the opener.
After losing her serve four times in the first set, Kostyuk stabilized in the second set and even opened a 5-3 lead. But then, the 23rd-seeded Ukrainian missed out on three consecutive set points in the ninth game before also failing to serve out for the set in the following game. Despite her missed opportunities, the Ukrainian still won the second set after coming up big in the tie-break and winning three points in a row from 4-4.
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Losing a tight second set didn't impact Pegula a bit as the American tennis star impressively started the decider with a 4-0 lead before breaking Kostyuk again in the seventh game to complete her three-set win.
Now, everything is a set for an all-American quarterfinal in Beijing as she plays next against No. 16 seed Emma Navarro.
Pegula handles Kostyuk after 'a crazy comeback' versus Emma Raducanu
A round earlier, Pegula recovered from a set and a break down, and also saved three match points, en route to completing a stunning 3-6 7-6 (9) 6-0 comeback against Raducanu.
"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 No. 5 seed said after beating Raducanu.
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Against her next Beijing rival Navarro, Pegula has played two times and has as many wins.
