Jessica PEGULA back on form, fights back to defeat Leylah FERNANDEZ in straight sets at Miami Open

Jessica Pegula is through to the Last 16 at the 2024 Miami Open and is starting to gain momentum at the right time for the first time this year after a slight drop off at times this season from the WTA Queen of Consistency. She took down Leylah Fernandez who despite the 7-5, 6-4 straight sets loss played superbly, but Pegula was marginally better and had to fight back to seal the win.

Pegula came from 5-3 down in the first set and took control from there in the clash as she reached the fourth round with Emma Navarro next in a match that Tennis Twitter is already calling the Billionaire Bowl.

After losing her serve in the opening set at the latter half, Pegula fought straight back and on her second break point chance used that as the opportunity to turn the tables. She made it 5-5, but Fernandez then had the chance herself to go one away from the set but didn't take it on multiple occasions. Pegula as a result got the luck of a late break and served it out for the set.

In set two, it was breaks aplenty. Both lost their serve in the opening three games and again in the middle half of the set. But it was Pegula who took the pivotal chance to go 4-3 up. After saving a break point, she went 5-3 up and it was curtains from there for the Canadian.

Having watched her former coach, David Witt last week achieve great success with Maria Sakkari, Pegula will want some of her own with her new coaches Mark Merklein and Mark Knowles and is seemingly starting to get back to some semblance of her old self after injuries and illness have meant a stop start 2024 so far. But she is into the 2024 after a battling display as Fernandez goes out perhaps without the rewards for her game against the fifth seed.