Pegula lives up to favoritism and breezes past Tig at US Open, sets up clash with Svitolina in third round

Jessica Pegula easily defeated Patricia Maria Tig 6-3, 6-1 and advanced to the third round of the US Open to meet Elina Svitolina once again.

The American tennis player left no room for surprises and lived up to her status as the third seed. Pegula progressed from the first round by defeating Camila Giorgi with ease, 6-2, 6-2.

Ranked as World No. 3, she is the top local hope and only three weeks ago, she clinched the championship at the WTA 1000 Canadian Open, securing victories against Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, and Ludmila Samsonova in the final.

Her opponent this time was the Romanian Patricia Maria Tig, who reached the second round of a Grand Slam for the first time in three years since the 2020 US Open, after defeating Canadian Rebecca Marino in the opening round.

Pegula made a strong start, securing a break and quickly taking a 2-0 lead, but she relinquished her service to Tig in the following game. Unforced errors led the Romanian to lose her service, allowing Pegula to gain a 4-1 lead.

Though Tig made a slight recovery to make it 4-3 with a break, she once again lost her service, and Pegula claimed the set 6-3. The American player displayed aggression with 14 winners but also gave her opponent opportunities with 14 unforced errors.

In the second set, Pegula adopted a more patient approach in her attack, putting the pressure on her rival. She focused on moving her opponent around the court and inviting errors rather than aggressively seeking winners. This strategy paid off as she totaled 6 winners and only 14 unforced errors, compared to her rival's 3 winners and 16 unforced errors.

Pegula secured two breaks in the second set, taking a 4-0 lead that proved insurmountable for Tig. While Tig managed to defend her service once, she again suffered a break in the seventh game, ultimately giving the match to Pegula with a final score of 6-3, 6-1.

In the third round, Pegula will face Elina Svitolina, a Ukrainian player who defeated the former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. Svitolina, ranked as World No. 26, had faced Pegula in the Canadian Open, but the American emerged victorious in the tournament that she would later go on to win.