Courtesy: Google
Jessica Pegula, the American tennis star, has returned to the sport with two convincing wins over Greece’s Maria Sakkari and her compatriot Ashlyn Krueger at the Adelaide International, to reach the semi-final of the tournament. After withdrawing from the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia in November due to a knee injury, the 30-year-old, who had reached the US Open final last year, dominated her two opponents in the WTA 500 event.
Earlier today, Jessica Pegula got the better of fellow American Ashlyn Krueger, who had to withdraw from the Adelaide International quarter-final after calling her trainer during the second set. After taking the first set 6-4, Pegula went to a break up against Krueger before the world number 54 had no choice but to give up on the match, to ensure that she didn’t sustain a massive injury, which could have jeopardised her entire season.
“It's always tough getting the first win of the year, you don't know what to expect: Jessica Pegula
With that, Jessica Pegula will face either Diana Shnaider of Russia or Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan for a spot in the final of the Adelaide International tomorrow. After the conclusion of the tournament, the American will make the short trip to Melbourne, where the first Grand Slam of the year, Australian Open will begin on Sunday, January 12, in which she will be the seventh seed in the women’s singles event.
After winning on return to tennis against Maria Sakkari, in her post-match comment, Jessica Pegula spoke about how she didn’t know what to expect from her first outing, but it all went well. She was quoted as saying, as per BBC Sport, “It's always tough getting the first win of the year, you don't know what to expect. But it's good heading into Melbourne next week. My focus is on doing well here first. It's fun to problem-solve on court and have a good attitude to start the year.”
