Daijiworld Media Network - London
London, Jul 3: Jessica Pegula continued her dominant run at The Championships, Wimbledon, cruising into the fourth round with a clinical 6-1, 6-3 victory over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro on Thursday.
The fourth-seeded American wrapped up the contest in just 53 minutes, extending her unbeaten run in sets at this year's tournament while improving her grass-court record this season to 7-1.
Pegula stamped her authority on the match from the outset, racing to a 4-0 lead before comfortably taking the opening set 6-1. Bouzas Maneiro struggled to cope with the American's aggressive baseline play and found few opportunities to mount a challenge.
The second set offered a brief twist when Pegula surrendered her serve in the third game after saving an earlier break point. However, the setback proved only temporary as the 2024 US Open finalist immediately regained momentum, breaking her opponent's serve twice in succession and reeling off four consecutive games to seal another convincing straight-sets victory.
Apart from that short lapse, Pegula delivered a commanding display, winning 79 per cent of points behind her first serve and striking 12 winners during the match.
The victory continues an impressive grass-court campaign for the American, who entered Wimbledon after finishing runner-up at the Berlin Open.
Despite her recent success on the surface, Pegula has admitted that she has changed her mindset towards playing on grass after several disappointing Wimbledon campaigns in previous years.
Following her first-round win over Darja Vidmanova, Pegula said she had stopped placing heavy expectations on herself during the grass-court season.
She explained that believing she was expected to excel on grass had often added unnecessary pressure, despite not always feeling fully comfortable on the surface.
Although pleased with her run to the Berlin final, Pegula said she no longer feels the need to obsess over results on grass and is approaching the season with a more relaxed attitude.
She ended her comments with a touch of humour, joking that she had convinced herself she was "terrible on grass" despite her recent performances, a mindset she believes has helped ease the pressure.