Pegula beats Frech in Washington to reach quarter-finals

US top-ranked player Jessica Pegula advanced to the quarter-finals of the Washington tournament with a 3:6, 6:3, 6:0 win over Poland's Magdalena Frech. Frech was once ranked as high as 22nd in the world and is currently 48th. The 32-year-old Pegula was a clear favourite, carrying odds of 1.08, yet she wasted five break points in the opening set, including three in a row, and dropped serve in the sixth game.

After that, Pegula took over. She outperformed Frech in points won on first serve (71% to 60%), on second serve (56% to 42%), and in total points (88 to 70). The American converted five of her 12 break-point chances, while Frech converted two of seven. Pegula finished with eight aces and four double faults; Frech had six aces and one double fault. The victory gave Pegula a 4-0 head-to-head lead over Frech. Pegula is playing in Washington for the seventh time and won the title here in 2019.

Later, Ukraine's leading player Elina Svitolina, ranked 10th, will face Uzbekistan's Olina Kudermetova, ranked 108th and a former world No.54. Svitolina, 31, is considered a big favourite, with odds of 1.19. She is appearing at this tournament for the second time, having reached the quarter-finals in 2023.