By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, October 8, 2025Photo credit score: Wuhan Open/CVG
Erupting in a convincing roar, Jessica Pegula had trigger for celebration in Wuhan at present.
The 2024 US Open finalist transformed her seventh match level lastly subduing a decided Hailey Baptiste in a “wild experience” that noticed Pegula prevail 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(6) in a punishing two-hour, 55-minute epic on the Wuhan Open.
The sixth-seeded Pegula served for the match at 5-2 and once more at 5-4 solely to see Baptiste dig in with defiance and struggle off two match factors within the eighth sport and three extra match factors within the tenth sport breaking again to stage at 5-all.
Serving at 5-6, Pegula held at 15 to power the decisive tiebreaker.
Pegula was down 4-5 within the breaker, however got here again. Baptiste saved one other match level at 5-6 earlier than Pegula lastly sealed one among her hardest victories of the season.
Photograph credit score: Wuhan Open/CVG
“It’s been brutal,” Pegula mentioned. “Match factors, then she began enjoying properly, I believe I simply bought just a little tentative. And that’s all it takes typically for somebody to come back again.
“I’m actually pleased with myself for a way I held it collectively as a result of I believe I simply may have simply collapsed. However I held robust, so yeah, that was a wild experience.”
The seventh-ranked Pegula will attempt to maintain the experience going towards Ekaterina Alexandrova subsequent.
The ninth-seeded Alexandrova defeated American Ann Li 7-6(5), 6-2.
