US Open: Jessica Pegula wins comeback, Jasmine Paolini drops out

Jessica Pegula recovered from a disastrous start to keep her hopes of a maiden Grand Slam title alive as she battled fellow US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 to book a place in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows on Friday. Jasmine Paolini’s time in the tournament came to an end as Sorana Cirstea continued her fairytale run.

Third-seeded Pegula looked at first as Fernandez took control, but gradually found her range and produced a composed response as the match began to slip away. She will meet Sorana Cirstea in the last 16, with another step towards the title requiring her to polish some of the weaknesses exposed during the opening set.

US OPEN: FULL NEWS

Fernandez, returning to Arthur Ashe Stadium for the first time since her run to the final in 2021, made an immediate impact. The 23-year-old Canadian used her left-handed forehand and aggressive baseline to keep Pegula pinned behind the baseline, constantly changing the pace and direction of her shots.

Pegula, the 2024 US Open runner-up, struggled to level as Fernandez cruised through the opening set in just half an hour.

In a second, the momentum changed. Pegula secured her first break in the sixth game and then led a tough service game to consolidate her position. Fernandez refused to go quietly and threatened to swing the set back in her favor, but Pegula held firm and took the match to a deciding set.

The American then showed the composure that made her one of the leading candidates in New York. After saving herself break points early in the period, she capitalized when Fernandez sent a shot wide to move ahead 3-1. Pegula maintained control from there and capped the turnaround with a backhand volley winner on match point.

PAOLINA’S JOURNEY ENDS

Meanwhile, Cirstea scored one of the biggest wins of her US Open campaign, beating Paolini 6-3, 6-2. The Romanian had lost all three previous encounters with the Italian, but she made no mistake in the fourth meeting and reached the round of 16 in New York for the first time in three years.

The 36-year-old is competing in what she has indicated will be her final season on tour and is currently enjoying a career-high ranking of 17th. She broke into the top 20 for the first time in July, shortly after making history in May when she became the oldest player to debut in the top 20 of the WTA rankings.

Cirstea has also enjoyed a memorable 2026 campaign. She won the Cluj-Napoca title earlier this year after defeating Emma Raducanu in the final to become the oldest player to win a WTA title this season. Her run in New York included wins over Diane Parry and Julia Grabher before her most recent win against Paolini.

For Paolini, the defeat capped off a difficult return to the US Open. The 19th seed spent time off the tour to recover from a leg injury she suffered following her Wimbledon quarter-final appearance. She needed three sets to get past Veronika Erjavec in the opening round and is now 0-3 against top 20 opponents in 2026.

– The end

Published on:

05 Sep 2026 0:13 IST