Pegula upsets Olympic gold medalist Pavlyuchenkova in Montreal

Jessica Pegula rallied from a set down to upset 10th-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Wednesday night at the National Bank Open (Rogers Cup), securing her spot in the round of 16.

The unseeded American fought back to claim a 1-6 6-3 6-2 victory over the Russian, who was coming off a gold medal showing in mixed doubles at the Tokyo Olympic Games, where she teamed with compatriot Andrey Rublev.

After a dominating first set by Pavlyuchenkova, momentum seemed to shift Pegula's way as she chased down every ball, forcing her opponents to hit errant shots in an attempt to get past her. With the second set in hand, it was all Pegula as the World No.30 secured the essential break and never looked back.

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Neither lady was particularly impressive on serve, but Pegula made the most of her break point opportunities, converting on five of them. Conversely, Pavlyuchenkova could only capitalize on 4 of 14 break point opportunities, which were instrumental in her early exit.