Pegula Avenges Wimbledon Loss to Cocciaretto in Thriller to Reach Charleston Quarterfinals

NEW DELHI: Defending champion and top seed Jessica Pegula fought back to reach the WTA Charleston Open quarterfinals on Thursday, requiring a final-set tiebreak to see off Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/1).

A resilient Pegula, the World No. 5 from the United States, eventually progressed just a day after labouring more than three hours to beat 72nd-ranked Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan.

The latest hard-fought win, clocking in at just over two hours, was revenge for Pegula, who was stunned by Cocciaretto at Wimbledon last year.

Cocciaretto, ranked 43rd in the world, dominated the first set.

Pegula’s serve was notably wayward, with the American winning just 25 per cent of first serve points.

Pegula rallied in the second set, but was immediately broken in a topsy-turvy final set, in which she trailed 1-4. The American hauled it back to 4-4, but then found the net on a break point that would have given her the lead.

Two points from defeat at 4-5, Pegula fought back to 5-5, and they advanced into a deciding tiebreak.

Pegula drew first blood, going up 1-0 off Cocciaretto’s serve, then won every point on her own serve before Cocciaretto double-faulted to hand her the match.

Pegula, who won the 10th WTA title in Dubai in February, next faces Russia’s Diana Shnaider, who had beaten Canadian Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 6-0.

Swiss third seed Belinda Bencic also advanced, shrugging off a slow start to beat Czech Sara Bejlek 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 and line up a quarterfinal clash with fifth-seeded American Madison Keys. Keys beat Hungarian Anna Bondar 6-2, 7-5. Agencies

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