How Did Wuhan Open Unfold for Pegula and Gauff?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Jessica Pegula advances to the third round after a tight match.
- Coco Gauff dominates her opponent with a quick victory.
- Pegula shows remarkable resilience in her match.
- Gauff’s serving performance is a highlight.
- Both players aim to build on their success in upcoming rounds.
Wuhan, Oct 8 (NationPress) - In a thrilling encounter, Jessica Pegula triumphed over fellow American Hailey Baptiste in a nail-biting three-set showdown, clinching the match with scores of 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (6) after 2 hours and 55 minutes, advancing to the third round at the Wuhan Open for the second consecutive year.
This match marked the first meeting between Pegula and Baptiste in over three years. Pegula was on a mission to achieve her third straight victory against the 23-year-old Baptiste, who was eager to register her first win in their head-to-head encounters.
Pegula's match was her fifth straight that went to three sets. In the next round, she is set to face No. 9 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who secured her place by defeating another American, Ann Li.
"It’s been brutal. You know, I had match points, and then she started playing well. I think I just got a little tentative, and that’s all it takes sometimes for someone to come back. So, I mean, I’m really proud of myself for how I held it together because I think I easily could’ve just collapsed. But I held tough, so yeah, that was a wild ride," Pegula reflected after her match.
In another match, Coco Gauff dominated Moyuka Uchijima, winning decisively 6-1, 6-0 in a mere 51 minutes, marking her advancement to the third round for the second year in a row.
The World No. 3 delivered a remarkable performance, winning 12 out of 13 games and 55 out of 77 points. Gauff's serve was particularly impressive, with only five missed first serves, achieving an 85% success rate, while allowing just six points on her serve. Notably, she recorded zero double faults and faced no break points, according to WTA reports.
"Today was a good match for me," Gauff stated in her on-court interview. "I played well, so yeah, I’m just super happy to be back here in Wuhan and moving on to the next round."
She maintained a low number of unforced errors, with only eight, while winning 16 points. Over the past three years, Gauff (18) has accumulated the most victories on Chinese soil at the WTA level, surpassing Zheng Qinwen by one win (Gauff: 18, Zheng: 17).