“It’s not even the same tournament from my first round”: Jessica Pegula blames conditions for Australian Open shock exit
WTA
Jessica Pegula reflected on the challenging conditions she faced during her Australian Open loss to Olga Danilovic (No. 55). The world No. 6 is yet another top seed to suffer an early exit in the tournament’s opening week. She elaborated on how the conditions in Melbourne impacted her game.
The 23-year-old Serbian is enjoying an impressive run at the year’s first Grand Slam, having already defeated 25th seed Liudmila Samsonova. Her victory over Pegula marks the biggest win of her career in terms of opponent ranking and is just her third triumph over a top-10 player—the first on a hard court.
Danilovic, who has traditionally excelled on clay, had only one prior main-draw appearance at the Australian Open, losing in the second round four years ago. However, she ended 2024 on a high note, securing her maiden hard-court title at the Canton Open.
Pegula, on the other hand, had started the year strong, reaching the Adelaide International final and comfortably advancing through the early rounds in Melbourne Park. Yet, she struggled against Danilovic and attributed her loss to the tournament’s slow conditions.
"Conditions were so slow. I mean, it was slower than a clay court. It felt like the balls were so heavy, and that totally favoured her, especially with her lefty kind of wipy forehand up to my backhand—it’s really tough," Pegula said.
"It’s not even the same tournament from my 1st round match playing on Cain during the day—it’s fast,” added the 2023 US Open finalist. "Playing there at night, it’s not even remotely the same. It’s tough; everyone has to deal with it. Some people deal with it better than others. Obviously, I prefer faster; I think everyone on tour knows that."
Danilovic’s victory sets up a fourth-round clash with 11th seed Paula Badosa, who overcame a tough challenge against Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk. The Spaniard is in excellent form and could break back into the top 10 for the first time since 2022 with a win.
Jess press conference after her loss against Danilovic :
— Camille (@tenniscamfr) January 17, 2025
“Condition were so slow, it was slower than clay court”
“It’s not even the same tournament from my first round” pic.twitter.com/1h4PtFGljw
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