Home » Citi Open: Jessica Pegula, the defending champion and top seed, loses in the pre-quarterfinals

The Citi Open’s top seed, Jessica Pegula, failed in her attempt to retain her title after falling in the round of 16. In an hour and 38 minutes, Daria Saville overcame Pegula 7-5, 6-4 to go to the quarterfinals. The Australian won 66 percent of the first-serve points, while Pegula won 80% of them.

She mentioned 10 additional break point opportunities on Saville’s serve. Even though she failed to preserve three of the six break points she was presented with, Pegula managed to convert just one of these 10. Saville won the game by a score of 71, four more than Pegula’s 67.

End of Simona Halep’s DC campaign at the Citi Open

Playing Rebecca Marino, Saville will try to advance to the semifinals. Venus Williams was defeated by Marino in the first round, and he followed that up by defeating Andrea Petkovic in the second round.

The Canadian triumphed in one hour and 53 minutes, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1. On Petkovic’s serve, Marino converted three of the ten break points she had while saving eight of the nine break points she faced. Compared to Petkovic’s 66 percent, she won 73 percent of the points she served first.

When Simona Halep withdrew mid-match in the second round owing to illness, Anna Kalinskaya advanced to the quarterfinals. At that time in the match, Kalinskaya had a 7-5, 2-0 advantage over the third-seeded Romanian. Halep played well earlier in the match to tie the score at four all after Kalinskaya had grabbed a 4-0 lead in the opening set.

Kalinskaya was able to consolidate the break by taking the set thanks to a third break of her serve in the 11th game. The sixth seed Kaia Kanepi will now face Kalinskaya for a spot in the Citi Open quarterfinals. In their round of 16 match, the Estonian overcame a set down to upset Lin Zhu, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. To win for herself, Kanepi needed two hours and 35 minutes.