"I kept telling myself I’m a better player than the last time I played her": Jessica Pegula finally snaps poor streak against Belinda Bencic to keep consistent run up

Jessica Pegula admitted she had to “turn the tables a little bit” to finally defeat Belinda Bencic after securing her first career victory over the Swiss star to reach the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open.

Pegula produced a composed display to win 6–3, 7–6 in Indian Wells, claiming not only her first victory over Bencic but also the first sets she has ever taken off the Olympic champion.

Speaking to Tennis Channel after the match, Pegula reflected on how she adjusted tactically, the improvements to her serve and the mental strength required to close out the contest.

Pegula entered the match with a poor head-to-head record against Bencic, but she believed her development over the past few seasons gave her a better chance this time around. “My record against her has not been great,” Pegula admitted. “But I kept telling myself I’m a better player than the last time I played her a couple of years ago.

“So I thought I’d have a little bit more tools today and strategically play a little bit better.”

The American explained that Bencic’s ability to take the ball early has historically made the matchup difficult. “She takes the ball so early. I think I kind of hit this flat ball that she tends to like and gets a rhythm on. “So I really had to be careful with my shot placement — where I was serving, where I was returning. But I was able to turn the tables a little bit today.”

Pegula’s serve proved a key weapon, with eight aces helping her earn valuable free points throughout the match. “I had 12 the other day — that’s definitely got to be a record,” she said with a smile.

“I’m hitting a lot of aces. I don’t want to jinx it, but I definitely am hitting more aces here than probably any other tournament.

“We’ve been working on my serve so much, so it’s gratifying to see that it’s winning me a lot more free points. It’s definitely very helpful when you can serve a few aces.”

After winning the first set comfortably, Pegula found herself pushed into a second-set tiebreak and had to resist the possibility of the match going to a deciding set.

“It’s always tough, especially because she’s a top player,” Pegula said. "I felt like I was a little bit flat in the second set at some points, and I had a couple more chances maybe to break her. She had some good serves and played some good points.”

Pegula was also broken late in the set while serving into the wind, forcing her to regroup.

“I kind of knew it was going to be a tough game serving against the wind. The balls were a little bit more worn down and she broke me very quickly. But I just kept telling myself, ‘OK, just hold here, get to a breaker.’”

Once in the tiebreak, Pegula focused on lifting her energy levels. “I tried to pick my energy up a lot in the breaker because I could kind of tell I felt — not tired — just a little flat. Your energy kind of gets zapped all of a sudden.

“I really wanted to win that breaker. I didn’t want to go to a third set.”

Despite building an early lead, the finish was far from straightforward. “She played a couple of really good match points. It’s hard — you just try to hold your nerve and trust your shots as much as you can.”

Away from tennis, Pegula revealed she had been fired up by the United States’ success at the Winter Olympics — particularly the hockey tournaments.

“I’m a big hockey fan,” Pegula said. "The women’s team won the gold and the men’s team won the gold. I wasn’t able to watch the women’s because I think I was in Dubai, but when I flew back I was able to watch the end of the men’s game — the second period, the third, and overtime — right at the hotel.

“I was just so fired up. We kind of got outplayed a little bit but we hung in there.”

Pegula even referenced the iconic hockey film Miracle when describing the moment. “Miracle is one of my favourite movies. I actually filmed the podcast right after and I was like, ‘Guys, you don’t understand, this is a really big deal.’

“But they don’t really follow hockey, so they didn’t understand it. I didn’t really have anyone to share that energy with.”

She also highlighted a connection to her hometown team through Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres. "One of the Sabres was on the team, Tage Thompson, and he won gold. We’ve also been playing amazing — we’ve won eight games since the Olympic break. Hopefully we’re taking some of that patriotism into our team as well.”

Pegula has also been exploring another side of sports media through her podcast project, which she said has been both enjoyable and challenging. “We enjoy it a lot,” she explained. “We’ve gotten a little bit more efficient with our planning and our schedule.

“Sometimes it’s hard to get us all on the same page, but because we enjoy it so much we make time.”

The American added that the group’s honest dynamic helps improve the show. “We have a very open, honest relationship with each other. We’re not afraid to say what we feel.

“We’ll say things like, ‘We need to redo that part,’ or ‘That sounded bad,’ or ‘You’re talking over somebody.’ We definitely don’t shy away from that.”

Pegula at the time was set to face either Elena Rybakina or Sonay Kartal in the quarter-finals, with the American acknowledging she may need to find another tactical solution if it is a rematch with Rybakina which has now been set.

“I’ve had a really tough last few matches with her,” Pegula said. “Riyadh went three sets, and in Australia it was two really tough sets. She went on to win both of them.

“She’s someone I definitely need to figure out something a little different against to hopefully turn the tables. We’ve had some really close matches and she’s probably playing some of the best tennis of anyone on tour right now. But I’m open to the challenge and looking forward to it.”