Jessica Pegula's woes continue with fourth loss in six matches in resumed Cincinnati Open clash

Wednesday, 13 August 2025 at 20:03

Jessica Pegula was one of the best players in the world during the middle part of this season and also last year's North American swing where she went 15-2 in a run that saw her reach a maiden Grand Slam final. But it is a very different complexion now going into Flushing Meadows after her latest loss.

Pegula won the National Bank Open and finished runner-up at the Cincinnati Open last year and has now gone 2-2 in her return to those events. She was facing Magda Linette who is often a bit of a spoiler player and she managed to do just that on Wednesday in what was a resumed tie after rain delays.

Last night saw thunderstorms in the Cincinnati area which halted not only Pegula's tie but also Alexander Zverev's match as well as numerous others at pivotal junctures throughout the piece. Pegula looked to be back in the ascendancy but in reality her delay perhaps came at the wrong time. Going off court stalled her momentum and handed it back to Linette on return.

With a fresh third set, Linette took the new impetus shaking off two double faults to hold then secured the lone break of the decider in the eighth game to prevail 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-3. The 33-year-old saved all three break points during the set that was played out on Wednesday to move through.

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Her role as a spoiler is very much self evident as she has picked up two top 10 wins this season. Both have come against Americans ranked inside the top five. She previously took down Coco Gauff in Miami earlier this season to equal her best career result in a WTA 1000. She can do the same if she sees off Clara Tauson or Veronika Kudermetova in another of the ties that has had to be delayed and played on another night.

Pegula has dropped four out of the last six matches and from being potentially in pole position to be a long standing World No.2 earlier this season, Gauff's rerise to Grand Slam champion and Pegula's slump has seen her likely become the fifth seed for US Open suddenly with Madison Keys potentially set to overtake her this week.

Pegula also was 3-0 up on Magda Linette in regards to Head-to-Head and is very much in the box seat this time around in Cincinnati while the Buffalo native will have to look to her home Grand Slam with a pondering narrative over perhaps thinking she can win it. While a few freak results are on the cards, she has been struggling for some time and not been the model of consistency of usual.

“It feels so good. I had so many tough matches on this court. I lost so many 3 setters. I never really got close to getting a set off her before. To me, it means so much. She’s such an unbelievable ballstriker and competitor. Unbelievable person off the court. I just feel this day is really special that I got the chance to beat her," said Linette after sealing the win on court.

Elsewhere Keys as mentioned faces Elena Rybakina later this evening, while Iga Swiatek made light work of Sorana Cirstea. Aryna Sabalenka faces surprise package Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. While late into the night, it is Ekaterina Alexandrova v Anna Kalinskaya bookending the night session in Cincinnati.

Match Statistics Linette vs. Pegula

Linette	VS	Pegula
	Service
6	Aces	5
6	Double Faults	5
65% (62/96)	1st Service Percentage	60% (61/102)
74% (46/62)	1st Service Points Won	61% (37/61)
29% (10/34)	2nd Service Points Won	54% (22/41)
44% (4/9)	Break Points Saved	62% (8/13)
67% (10/15)	Service Games	67% (10/15)
	Return
39% (24/61)	1st Return Points Won	26% (16/62)
46% (19/41)	2nd Return Points Won	71% (24/34)
	Other
2h 26m	Match Duration	2h 26m

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

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