US Open: Jessica Pegula makes comeback win, Jasmine Paolini crashes out

Jessica Pegula recovered from a set down to beat Leylah Fernandez and reach the US Open fourth round. Sorana Cirstea also advanced by knocking out Jasmine Paolini, setting up a last-16 meeting with Pegula.Pegula will face Cristea in the fourth round (Courtesy: Reuters)Jessica Pegula recovered from a disastrous start to keep her hopes of winning a first Grand Slam title alive, battling past fellow US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 and booking her place in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows on Friday. Jasmine Paolini's time at the tournament came to an end as Sorana Cirstea continued her fairytale run.The third-seeded Pegula looked out of sorts early on as Fernandez took control, but she gradually found her range and produced a composed response when the match began to slip away from her. She will meet Sorana Cirstea in the last 16, with another step towards the title requiring her to sharpen some of the weaknesses exposed during the opening set.US OPEN: FULL COVERAGEFernandez, returning to Arthur Ashe Stadium for the first time since her run to the 2021 final, made an immediate impact. The 23-year-old Canadian used her left-handed forehand and aggressive baseline game to keep Pegula pinned behind the baseline, constantly changing the pace and direction of her shots. Pegula, who finished runner-up at the US Open in 2024, struggled to settle as Fernandez raced through the opening set in just half an hour.The momentum changed in the second. Pegula secured the first break in the sixth game and then held a demanding service game to strengthen her position. Fernandez refused to go quietly and threatened to swing the set back in her favour, but Pegula held firm and took the match into a deciding set. The American then showed the composure that has made her one of the leading contenders in New York. After saving break points early in the third, she capitalised when Fernandez sent a shot wide to move 3-1 ahead. Pegula maintained control from there and completed the comeback with a backhand volley winner on match point.PAOLINI'S JOURNEY ENDSCirstea, meanwhile, produced one of the biggest wins of her US Open campaign by defeating Paolini 6-3, 6-2. The Romanian had lost all three of her previous encounters with the Italian, but made no mistake in their fourth meeting to reach the last 16 in New York for the first time in three years.The 36-year-old is competing in what she has indicated will be her final season on tour and is currently enjoying the highest ranking of her career at No. 17. She first broke into the top 20 in July, shortly after making history in May by becoming the oldest player to make a top-20 debut in the WTA rankings.Cirstea has also enjoyed a memorable 2026 campaign. She lifted the title in Cluj-Napoca earlier this year after beating Emma Raducanu in the final, becoming the oldest player to win a WTA title this season. Her run in New York has included straight-set victories over Diane Parry and Julia Grabher before her latest win against Paolini.For Paolini, the defeat capped a difficult return to the US Open. The 19th seed had spent time away from the tour recovering from a foot injury suffered after her Wimbledon quarter-final appearance. She needed three sets to get past Veronika Erjavec in the opening round and now has a 0-3 record against top-20 opponents in 2026.- EndsPublished On: Sep 5, 2026 00:13 IST