Photo credit: Julian Finney/Getty
Crouching in return position, Jessica Pegula shut her eyes in a meditative state.
That was a brief calm before Pegula’s third-set storm.
The third-seeded Pegula sped through the final four games fending off 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to reach the Roland Garros fourth round.
On match point, Pegula pierced the T with an ace sealing a one hour, 52-minute victory in style.
"Really tough today. I know playing Marketa is always going to be a battle, especially I know we haven't played on clay before," Pegula told the media in Paris."But I know she's had really good results here.
"So was thinking it was going to be really tricky, and it definitely was. It's also super humid today. I felt like it was just a really tough match mentally and physically."
The third-seeded Pegula joins Amanda Anisimova as the second American woman into this Roland Garros round of 16—and that total may well swell by day’s end.
It is Pegula’s second French Open fourth round appearance in the last three years.
The 2023 quarterfinalist has the game—and draw—to go deeper.
Next up for Pegula is a fourth-round meeting with French Cinderella story and world No. 361 Lois Boisson.
In a tense clash of French wild cards, Boisson broke three times in a row to edge 138th-ranked Elsa Jacquemot 6-3, 0-6, 7-5 on Court Simonne Mathieu.
US Open finalist Pegula is well aware that match will be played on multiple fronts as she's face both Boisson and a vocal and sometimes rowdy French fan base.
"Obviously, they're going to have some crazy support for them," Pegula said. "I'm pretty good at kind of zoning out. I have played in some pretty rowdy crowds. I think it will be fun.
"It will be cool to be a part of that. Even though they're not for me, it will still be fun. They're going to be going crazy. That will be a fun experience. I don't think I have ever played a French player here, so that will be interesting."
Should seeds hold true to form, Pegula would play 2024 semifinalist and sixth seeded Mirra Andreeva for a semifinal spot. That is, of course, if Indian Wells champion Andreeva can conquer friend and practice partner Daria Kasatkina, who stopped 10th-seeded Paula Badosa, 6-1, 7-5, earlier today.
Andreeva permitted just four games overwhelming Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 6-1, to set up the Kasatkina clash of friendly rivals.
"I practiced with her here once already, so I think that we practice together every tournament," Andreeva said of Kasatkina. "It's going to be an entertaining match, for sure, because I think we both know each other very well. So, you know, I think that it's going to be fun and also maybe pretty tight.
"We're going to see, but I think that the match is going to be super interesting."
A champion for all surfaces—Pegula has won tournament titles on the three major surfaces—the American No. 2 says clay compels her to deploy the variety in her game.
Facing spin doctor Vondrousva, the flat-hitting Pegula mixed in the drop shot and closed net with confidence. Pegula hit 39 winners—11 more than the world No. 96—and won 18 of 33 trips to net.
This match was a rematch of the 2023 Wimbledon quarterfinals and carried added resonance for Pegula.
At SW19, Pegula had a maiden major semifinal within reach.
Then, Vondrousova snatched it away and shattered Pegula’s Wimbledon dream.
Down 1-4 in the decider, Vondrousova streaked through five straight games stunning Pegula 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 to reach her first Wimbledon semifinal in a stirring comeback conquest beneath the closed roof of No. 1 Court.
A courageous Vondrousova lashed her lefty forehand with menace pounding 11 of her 24 winners in the final set capping one of the biggest comebacks of her career with tears of joy. Vondrousova went on to defeat Ons Jabeur and win Wimbledon.
So you can’t fault Pegula if she experienced a creeping sense of deja vu when Vondrousova broke back for 2-all in the decider.
This time, Pegula played proactive tennis on the slow surface and took it to the talented left-hander.
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While Vondrousova dissected Pegula at Wimbledon with slices and drop shots in the final set, at crunch time today, the American turned the tables. Pegula maintained depth on her drives, forced the left-hander to hit her backhand on the run and picked off high volleys with precision.
Competing with clarity at crunch time, Pegula smacked 17 of her 39 winners in the final set, including pumping five of her six aces in the decider. That final ace sent Pegula back to the fourth round with an opportunity to continue this Roland Garros ride.