Jessica Pegula resisted a courageous fightback from Ekaterina Alexandrova on Thursday to advance at the Wuhan Open.
Pegula, the sixth seed, was made to work hard by her Russian opponent before sealing the contest in three sets.
The American closed out the contest 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, and will face Katerina Siniakova in the Wuhan Open quarter-finals.
Pegula forms part of a strong American contingent on the WTA Tour, alongside the likes of Coco Gauff, Madison Keys and Amanda Anisimova.
Against Alexandrova on Thursday, Pegula proved yet again why she belongs in the highest tier of women’s tennis.
Jessica Pegula is the oldest player to reach the quarter-finals at the China Open and Wuhan Open in the same season
Jessica Pegula has certainly not made life easy for herself in Wuhan, needing three sets to beat both of her first two opponents at the tournament.
However, her perseverance has paid off in the form of a new WTA record.
As per OptaAce, Jessica Pegula has become the oldest player to reach the quarter-finals at Beijing and Wuhan during the same season.
Pegula achieved the feat while aged 31 years and 224 days, surpassing two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who accomplished the feat aged 29 years and 206 days.
Rounding out the list are Dominika Cibulková, Angelique Kerber and Agnieszka Radwańska.
Pegula was recently upset by 26th seed Linda Noskova at the China Open, and she will hope to avoid a similar fate when she contests her quarter-final match.
How did Jessica Pegula fare at the 2024 Wuhan Open?
Jessica Pegula has already advanced further at the 2025 Wuhan Open than she did in 2024.
During last year’s tournament, Pegula opened her campaign with a 6-2 2-0 [RET] victory over Anastasia Potapova.
However, she was then stunned by Chinese star Wang Xinyu, losing 6-3, 7-5.
Pegula advanced further in the doubles tournament in 2024. Alongside Asia Muhammad, Pegula reached the final before losing to Anna Danilina and Irina Pavlovna Chromachova.
