Jessica Pegula defeated fellow American Hailey Baptiste 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (6) in a tense match lasting 2 hours and 55 minutes to advance to the third round of the Wuhan Open for the second straight year. It was their first meeting in more than three years, with Pegula extending her winning record against Baptiste to three. The victory marked Pegula’s fifth consecutive three-set match. She will next play ninth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova, who beat Ann Li in the second round.
Pegula said she was proud to stay composed despite losing match points, calling the contest a “wild ride.” In another match, Coco Gauff cruised past Moyuka Uchijima 6-1, 6-0 in 51 minutes to also reach the third round for a second consecutive year.
World No. 3 Gauff dominated from start to finish, winning 12 of 13 games and dropping only six points on serve. She maintained an 85 percent first-serve rate, committed no double faults, and faced no break points. Gauff hit just eight unforced errors and captured 16 winners. She holds the most WTA wins in China over the past three years with 18, one ahead of Zheng Qinwen.
Pegula said she was proud to stay composed despite losing match points, calling the contest a “wild ride.” In another match, Coco Gauff cruised past Moyuka Uchijima 6-1, 6-0 in 51 minutes to also reach the third round for a second consecutive year.
World No. 3 Gauff dominated from start to finish, winning 12 of 13 games and dropping only six points on serve. She maintained an 85 percent first-serve rate, committed no double faults, and faced no break points. Gauff hit just eight unforced errors and captured 16 winners. She holds the most WTA wins in China over the past three years with 18, one ahead of Zheng Qinwen.
