Fourth seed Jessica Pegula has had a rough time on the courts over the past few weeks. After winning the Bad Homburg title, the 31-year-old American has won only two matches in four events, including a first-round loss at Wimbledon.
But getting back to Flushing Meadows, where she reached her first Grand Slam final 12 months ago, has seemed to give her a boost as the world No. 4 advanced into the second round of the US Open with a straight-sets win over Egypt’s Mayar Sherif.
Playing the night session match on Ashe Stadium, Pegula got off to a blistering start to win the first set 6-0. In the second set, Sherif found her rhythm and broke the American to take a 4-1 lead. However, Pegula regained her focus and her form to win five games in a row and complete the 6-0, 6-4 win in one hour and 15 minutes.
She will next meet Anna Blinkova, who defeated Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-3, 6-1 in another first-round clash on Sunday.
Other Notable Results
Also on Sunday evening, seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, who reached the finals in Cincinnati earlier this month, advanced to the second round of the US Open for the third time in six main draw appearances after a straight sets win over Australian qualifier Destanee Aiava.
After winning the first set 6-2, Paolini had to work a lot harder to overcome the spirited Australian in the second set as both players held their service games to take the set into a tiebreak. The two-time Grand Slam runner-up’s experience pulled her through for a 6-2, 7-6 (4) win to set up a second round showdown against the experienced 31-year-old Aliaksandra Sasnovich or rising teen Iva Jovic.