MELBOURNE (Reuters) – American Jessica Pegula continued her dream run at the Australian Open on Monday by claiming a 6-4 3-6 6-3 win over fifth seed Elina Svitolina to reach the quarter-finals.
Pegula struggled badly in the second set at a sunbathed Rod Laver Arena but regrouped in the decider, breaking former Wimbledon and U.S. Open semi-finalist Svitolina in the fourth game before locking down her first win over a top 10 opponent.
Matching Svitolina’s power off the baseline, Pegula rushed the net to knock her opponent off her stride and sealed the win on the first match point when the Ukrainian netted a return.
Pegula will play the winner of Donna Vekic and Jennifer Brady for a place in the semi-finals.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
