Jessica Pegula spurned three match point opportunities before losing to Linda Noskova in the Shanghai Masters semi-finals.
Pegula was the heavy favourite against the 26th seed, but could not find a way to close out the contest in the deciding set.
The American served for the match at 6-5 in the third set and had three match points. However, she failed to convert these opportunities, eventually losing 6-3, 1-6, 7-6.
Needless to say, this was a damaging loss for Pegula, who last won a WTA Tour title at the Bad Homburg Open in June.
The world number seven will now look ahead to the next WTA 1000 event: the Wuhan Open.
Jessica Pegula reacts to ‘brutal’ loss
Jessica Pegula will certainly want to put her latest contest firmly behind her.
On Instagram, she reacted to the loss, describing the result as ‘brutal.’
She said: “Brutal, but gave it my all. Thank you China Open and all the fans this week.”
The American has won three WTA 1000 titles in her career, all of which occurred between 2022 and 2024.
Her first WTA 1000 title came at the 2022 Guadalajara Open, defeating four major champions on her way to victory.
In 2023, she claimed her second title in this category at the Canadian Open. She followed this up in 2024 by winning her second Canadian Open title.
Pegula’s possible first opponent in Wuhan
Jessica Pegula, seeded sixth, has received a bye through to the Wuhan Open second round.
She will face an American player in the second round regardless of who wins in her section of the draw.
Pegula, who recently represented the USA at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, will face either Ashlyn Krueger or Hailey Baptiste.
Pegula has played Baptiste twice, winning on both occasions. As for Krueger, Pegula has dominated their matchup, winning all five of their contests in straight sets.
