US Open: Pegula powers past Li to book quarter-final spot

Jessica Pegula booked her place in the US Open quarter-finals with a commanding straight-sets win over fellow American Ann Li, Sport360NG reports.

The fourth seed required less than an hour to dispatch Li 6-1, 6-2, producing her sharpest performance of the summer after an inconsistent run of form since her surprise first-round exit at Wimbledon.

Pegula, who finished runner-up in New York last year, dominated from the outset, breaking Li six times and dictating the pace of rallies.

“I knew if she settled into her serve she could be tough, so I just wanted to keep her uncomfortable from the start,” the 31-year-old said. “She looked a bit nervous, and my goal was to stay on top of that the whole match.”

Li, ranked 58th in the world but dangerous on serve after firing 22 aces in her opening three matches, struggled to find her rhythm. She made 10 unforced errors in the first set and won only 8% of points behind her second serve, allowing Pegula to take full control.

Although Li steadied in the second set, Pegula raised her intensity further, blending her trademark baseline power with more frequent ventures to the net.

“I felt really comfortable moving forward today,” Pegula added. “That’s something I’ve been working on, not getting stuck at the back. It felt good to finish points with volleys and overheads.”

Pegula now advances to face either former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova or compatriot Taylor Townsend, who has been in superb form after upsetting Jelena Ostapenko and fifth seed Mirra Andreeva in earlier rounds.