Jessica Pegula opened the door to a possible showdown with Mirra Andreeva at the WTA Finals after firing herself back into contention for a place in the WTA Finals final four with a big win against Marta Kostyuk.
In a match that was dominated by mistakes and low-quality tennis, Pegula rose above the mediocrity to secure a 6-2, 7-5 victory in one hour and 29 minutes.
The win ensured Pegula is firmly in the mix for a place in the final four of the WTA Finals in Indian Wells and she could be in line to meet Andreeva in the semi-finals on Saturday.
Pegula will need a positive result against Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova in her first group stage match to seal her place in the semi-finals and she will gain confidence from a win against an out-of-sorts Kostyuk.
While Pegula has offered a full apology to French Open champion Andreeva after her candid comments were picked up by a microphone she did not know was active on a practice court, the potential meeting with the Russian player will inevitably create headline news.
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“I think she’s a nice girl – she’s just a diva. She needs to be humbled,” Pegula said.
“She (Andreeva) has got the perfect serve. She moves like a cat, she’s smart, she anticipates well.
“It’s so funny how, like, you see her, and then you see Coco’s mentality. If she had Coco’s mentality, she’d be better than Coco.”
Pegula was furious when she discovered her comments were broadcast to the world, with WTA chiefs forced to issue an embarrassing apology as they confirmed they did not inform the players that their on-court comments were being recorded.
“The WTA takes full responsibility for failing to inform our players and their teams that microphones, in place to give fans a livestream of the players’ practice, were active on the courts at the WTA Finals,” a statement read.
“We sincerely apologise for failing to meet our responsibility to ensure players and coaches were properly informed.”
World No 3 Andreeva defeated sixth-ranked Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-0 in her opening round robin match at the WTA Finals on Monday.
In a post-match interview, Andreeva was asked if she had spoken to Pegula since the incident.
“Yeah, I mean, I really appreciated that she came up to me on the same day, I think, maybe a couple of hours just went by,” said the 19-year-old, who is the reigning French Open champion.
“And she approached me. I would probably like to keep what she said between her and I really appreciated that she just came up to me.
“Obviously, she apologised, so yeah, there is no drama or anything behind it. Now we’re able to laugh about it, so I think that’s the most important.”
While Pegula and Andreeva will claim publicly that the incident is closed, the first meeting between the two will inevitably spark speculation over a fiery contest.
Pegula faces a tough task in her final match as she faces Noskova, who comfortably beat Gauff 6-3, 6-3 to book her place in the semi-finals.
If Pegula can beat Noskova and Gauff beats Kostyuk, it may come down to a battle over games won between the two Americans to decide who reaches the WTA Finals last four.
Andreeva also has work to do to make progress in the WTA Finals, but she is in a strong position to reach the semi-finals after winning her opening match against Elina Svitolina.
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