First, while her opponent was ranked just 58th, Pegula played virtually flawless tennis. She hit with her customary depth and pace from the ground, and was ahead from the start in most of the rallies. As Shriver noted, she made the most of her transition game, going 12 for 15 at net. Her backhand return was especially sharp. And there were no hiccups or nerves or eye rolls as she closed out the second set.
“Very good match I think for me today,” Pegula said. “Probably the best match, honestly, I’ve played since before Wimbledon, I feel like, from the start to finish. So that was encouraging. I was just hitting the ball, doing everything well, executing my strategy very well.”
There’s another reason for her to be pleased: She’s into the quarters of her home Slam for the third time. That may not sound like a reason to celebrate for someone who reached the final last year, but as Pegula noted, she wasn’t in top form, or anywhere close, when the Open started, and she hadn’t been past the fourth round at a Slam in 2025.
“I felt terrible coming into this tournament, honestly,” she told *TENNIS.com’s* David Kane after the match. “I had a practice, and I literally—I think I hit with Sabalenka. She killed me. I was playing terrible.”
“I was, like, ‘Yeah, I’m done for today.’ So I kind of walked off the court, like, not very happy.”
