NEW YORK (AP) — Jessica Pegula is back in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament, which used to be her roadblock.
The way Pegula is playing at this U.S. Open, it may be just another stop on the way back to the final.
Pegula rolled into the last eight by routing fellow American Ann Li 6-1, 6-2 in just 54 minutes on Sunday. The No. 4 seed hasn't dropped a set this year at Flushing Meadows, and only once was even kept on court for more than 1 hour, 15 minutes.
Pegula had been 0-6 in Grand Slam quarterfinals before upsetting Iga Swiatek in that round last year. She went on to reach the final, where was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka.
Pegula will face either two-time Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova or another American, Taylor Townsend, on Tuesday.
The 58th-ranked Li was the highest-ranked player Pegula has faced in the tournament, but the 25-year-old was overpowered in her first appearance in the round of 16 in a major. Pegula broke her all four times she served in the 25-minute first set, and she had just five winners against 19 unforced errors in the match.
What else happened Sunday?
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic were on the schedule along with Sabalenka and Taylor Fritz, last year's runner-up and the only American man remaining.
Who is on Monday’s schedule?
Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka will meet in a fourth-round matchup, six years after Osaka beat a then-15-year-old Gauff in the same round. Wimbledon champions Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek also will be in action as the remaining quarterfinal matchups are set.
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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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