Jessica Pegula shows true colours with ‘lucky’ Emma Raducanu comment | Tennis | Sport
Jessica Pegula graciously admitted that she was “lucky” to defeat Emma Raducanu, having survived three match points in a second-set tiebreak. The Brit had taken the first set comfortably, 6-3, but Pegula roared back into the match and after trading breaks, the pair went to a tiebreak.
Pegula pulled off two stunning backhand efforts to save two match points, then a third came and went for the British No. 1 when she sent a forehand long. That was one of three consecutive errors from that side as Pegula ultimately saved her position and took the match to a deciding set.
At this point, Raducanu completely collapsed.
She was beaten 6-0 in the third and at times struggled to even come close to returning a serve. Raducanu completely ran out of ideas as a worrying trend emerged.
At the Korea Open just 11 days earlier, Raducanu also squandered three match points to Barbora Krejcikova in a second-set tiebreak. She lost that third set 6-1.
Raducanu led 5-2 in both tiebreaks before going on to lose the match.
She has now lost six of her past seven tiebreaks, dating back to June, in what must be a concern for new coach Francisco Roig.
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But Pegula eased some of the pressure on Raducanu, who came in as an underdog against the fifth seed, admitting that she “got a little lucky” twice in the tiebreak and could just as easily have lost the match.
“That was a crazy match,” Pegula said in her on-court interview. “That was really intense. But I got myself back into the tiebreak and just wanted keep pressure on. When she hit the double fault [leading 5-4], I knew I was still playing some good tennis.
“It was right there, it was really, really close. And to be honest, I think I got a little lucky on those two backhand winners [both down match point]. But I just tried to keep fighting for as long as I could.”
The American’s straightforward third set booked her place in the last 16 against Marta Kostyk, the winner could face a showdown with reigning Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek.
