Jessica Pegula delivered the most dominant performance of her career on Saturday at the Foro Italico. The American left nothing for Rebeka Masarova, sweeping the Swiss player 6-0, 6-0 in just over an hour in the third round of the Italian Open.
It was the first double bagel of Pegula's career. "I don't think I've ever had that," she said after the match, clearly surprised by the scale of her dominance. The world No. 7 won the first eight points of the encounter and never faced a break point.
Her return quality proved decisive, as she systematically neutralized Masarova's first serve, suffocating any attempt at resistance. The Swiss player, ranked outside the top 80, never found an answer to the relentless pressure from the American.
With this victory, Pegula ties Venus Williams for the second-most WTA 1000 main draw wins by an American woman, another milestone for a player who has steadily climbed the rankings in recent seasons.
The 32-year-old American has now won 19 consecutive games when counting her second-round victory over Zeynep Sönmez. Whoever faces her in the round of 16 will need to be wary of this sparkling form on the Roman clay.
